The Immortal

“Morning Gerard!” Frank said brightly, wheeling himself into the hospital room with that signature grin on his face. I had only been in this hospital for a little over two weeks now but I already knew that smile all too well. Whatever he was up to, it was nothing short of mischief.

“No Frank.” I sighed, as I erased one of the lines I was drawing on my sketchbook.

“No what?” He asked, stopping his chair at my bedside. “I haven’t asked you anything yet.”

“Yet.” I repeated, flipping my pencil over to start drawing again. “I know that tone, and whatever it is you want the answer’s no.”

“Well I was only saying good morning.” He said, folding his arms across his chest in a huff. “It’s not like I was going to ask you to help me rob a bank or anything.”

I put my pencil and sketchbook down on my lap and looked up at him in surprise. “Were you going to ask me to help you rob a bank?”

“What? No!” He exclaimed defensively, causing me to burst out laughing at his reaction.

“I was kidding Frank.” I laughed, tossing my sketchbook onto the small end table beside my bed. “What is it you need?”

“Now why is it when I talk to people, they think I need something?” He sighed as he glanced over at the drawing I was working on. “Whoa, dude that’s really cool.”

“Oh, thanks.” I said chuckling slightly at how easily he was distracted. “And to answer your question, because I know you too well.”

“You only met me two weeks ago.” He said as he pulled my sketchbook in front of himself to look at it.

“People aren’t that hard to read.” I said truthfully. “You especially.”

He paid no attention to my remark; he was busy studying my drawing.

“Who’s the patient?” He asked as he looked through the sketchbook over the other drawings I had been developing for work.

“A character I’m working on.” I replied as I watched him.

“One for DC?” He asked, looking up at me.

“No, I haven’t pitched the idea to them yet.” I said. “I’m still kinda in the developing stage.”

“So what’s the idea?” He prodded as he looked over various sketches. “What’s this guy’s story?”

“He’s a cancer patient.” I started. “I’m still throwing so ideas around but basically it’s about his premature death, and how he learns to accept it, and even welcome it.”

“Death comes in the form of a parade for him?” He asked as he came across a one of the rough drawings I had done a few days ago.

“Well I had this theory,” I said slowly. “-that death comes however we want it to. In a form that’s comforting, that takes the fear out it. His form happened to be a parade because it was the fondest memory he had as a child; his father took him to see one.”

“Who are these girls here?” He asked, coming across a page with two twin girls dressed in black.

“Members of the parade.” I said. “I’m still tossing around names for them through.

“And this one here,” He asked, pausing on a page with a rough sketch of a woman wearing a gasmask and a Victorian style dress.

“Mother War.” I replied.

“Wow dude.” He sighed after looking through the rest of my drawings. “You’ve got a gift.”

“He most certainly does.”

I looked up in surprise to see Rachel leaning casually in the hospital room doorway with a few charts she was holding against her chest.

“Hey Doc!” Frank said enthusiastically. “To what do we owe the honor?”

“I’m here to check up on you guys.” She laughed, walking further into the room.

“To make sure I haven’t died yet you mean?” I laughed, remembering back to that being her reason for visiting me my first day here.

“Something like that.” She smiled.

“Huh?” Frank asked, looking from me to Rachel in confusion. “What are you two on about?”

“Nothing Frank.” She laughed. “What are you two up to anyway? Keepin’ outta trouble I hope.”

“Gee here was just showin’ me his drawings.” Frank said, lifting up my sketchbook for her to see. “Have you seen these? They’re incredible!”

“I have actually.” She said, tossing her charts onto the wooden desk behind her. “-when he was first brought in here. Hope you don’t mind that I looked through them Gerard.”

“Not at all.” I shrugged.

“Oh, Frank I meant to tell you,” She said turning her attention back to him. “There’s someone here to see you, they’re waiting for you down in the cafeteria.”

“Who is it?” He asked, tilting his head to the side in confusion. “Bob said he couldn’t come down today.”

“It’s not Bob.” Rachel said. “Um…I think she said her name was…um Jamie…or Gena…”

“Jamia!” Frank exclaimed happily as he rolled his wheels backwards. “Can’t stay and talk dudes, I gotta date!”

And with that he rolled himself as fast as he could out of the room.

“Hey slow down!” Rachel called laughing after him. “You’re going to-”

But she was cut off by a loud crash followed by the scream of a nurse.

“I’m okay!” I heard Frank call.

“Maniac.” Rachel sighed, shaking her head as she turned back to me. “How are you holdin’ up?”

“Fine as ever.” I sighed. “Do I get to go home now?”

“No but your rehab starts tomorrow.” She said, reaching behind her for what I assumed to be my chart. “These are some of the x-rays we took yesterday,” She said pulling out a sheet of black film paper with a scan of my arm printed on it.

“I don’t see anything wrong with it.” I said as I looked at it.

“That’s my point.” She said as she looked at the picture.

Uh-oh.

“Your bones…they shouldn’t be healing this fast.” She said slowly as she studied the x-ray.

“Well… I have a good doctor.” I said, hoping to distract her through flattery.

She narrowed her eyes at me but smiled. “Do you see this?” She asked, pointing to a thin line across art of my bone.

“Yeah.” I said slowly as I looked at it. “Why?”

“That shouldn’t be there for at least another few months.” She said seriously. “These bones here shouldn’t be almost fully healed. They’ve only been healing for a little over two weeks. This x-ray…well it looks like an arm that’s been healing for more than two months.”

“Is that bad?” I asked tentatively.

“Um, well no…” She trailed off. “It’s just really strange. Gerard I’ve never seen anything like this. And look,” She said as she pulled out another x-ray, this time one of my ribcage. “Look at your ribs.”

I glanced at the picture of my bones but couldn’t find anything wrong with them. They looked like nothing had happened to them in the first place. I couldn’t see a single scratch or line on any of them.

“They’re healed.” She said quietly. “I can’t even see which ones were broken. There aren’t any fracture lines, no scratches….or anything wrong with them.”

“Well I have you to thank for that.” I said. “If you hadn’t set them so well, they wouldn’t have been able to heal this nicely.”

“But…but this is impossible.” She said more to herself than to me, still studying the x-rays. “No bones have the ability to heal this fast. How is this possible?”

“Hey, you’re the doc, Doc.” I said. I really didn’t like where this conversation was going. She was already suspicious, not a good sign. “I don’t know anything you don’t.”

Now that was an outright lie. But she wouldn’t believe me even if I had the guts to tell her, so what’s the point? Might as well play the stupid card while I’ve got it.

She was silent for a few minutes while she studied the x-rays and I finally cleared my throat and spoke again.

“…um does this mean I don’t have to go through rehab?” I asked tentatively.

“Gerard at the rate your bones are healing you could be out of here by tomorrow.” She said, dropping the x-rays to look up at me.

“Isn’t that a good thing?” I asked, tilting my head to the side.

“I don’t even know what to think anymore.” She said.

“What’s to think about?” I asked. “I’m better…isn’t that all that matters?”

“But how?” She asked as she looked over the x-rays. “Gerard this is crazy, things like this just don’t happen this way. Bones aren’t able to heal this fast. I should know, I’ve studied them for years. I know all there is to know about them. Everything. And this…it makes absolutely no sense! Gerard when they first brought you in here all the doctors, myself included, we thought you weren’t going to make it. Doctor Anderson was even filling the form out for the morgue. But then your heart started beating again.”

“Why are you telling me this?” I asked quietly. “Why does any of this matter? I’m here, I’m alive. That’s all that matters to me, isn’t that enough?”

“But how!” She exclaimed frustratedly. “How are you alive? How are you healing so fast? How did you survive getting hit by that truck?”

“Just lucky I guess.” I replied.

“Be serious Gerard!” She said exasperatedly. “This isn’t possible.”

“But it is.” I interrupted. “I’m here, aren’t I?”

“This does not happen with normal people!” She exclaimed, holding up the x-rays for effect.

“What if I’m not a normal person?” I asked quietly.

“Normal people aren’t able to-” She started but stopped short at what I had just said. “Wait…what?”

“What if I’m not normal?” I asked again. “What if my bones can heal that fast? What if I’m not just some ordinary guy?”

“What do you mean?” She asked, looking at me more puzzled than when she was trying to figure out my x-rays.

“I’m…different than most people.” I said slowly.

Different. Yeah, there’s a word for what you are.

“Different how?” She asked.

“Well…I’m…” I started, not knowing how exactly to put this.

You’re immortal. Say it Gerard. Just say, Rachel I’m immortal.

“Come on Gerard just tell me.” She said impatiently.

“I’m im-” I started but was cut off by a loud beeping noise.

“Oh, jeeze hang on a sec.” Rachel said, reaching into the pocket of her white coat to pull out a black beeper. “Damn.” She muttered, reading the number on the beeper. “I’m sorry Gerard, I gotta go. What was it you were saying?”

“Oh, nothing.” I said quickly. “It’s not important.”

“Alright, I’ll see you later then maybe.” She said as she walked back to the door. “Bye Gerard.”

“Bye.” I said softly, watching her leave.

You idiot.