Kage's Revenge: Not All Are Forgiven

6: We were friends

chapter 6: We were friends 

The morning shift at the Hospital was in full swing. Night shifts were usually the busiest but it seemed like it was the season, fall.

 Kage, maintaining his carefully constructed facade of disability, expertly navigated his wheelchair through the active corridors. He stopped at a curtained cubicle, the faint scent of antiseptic and nervous sweat clinging to the air.  

 A sixteen-year-old boy, pale and clenching his chest, sat on the examination table, his mother hovering anxiously beside him. Her expressions were mixed—she looked angry and worried at the same time. Kids.

 “Chest pains, huh?” Kage asked, his tone gently professional, his gaze assessing the boy’s overall condition. “Tell me what happened.”

  The boy, Liam, hesitated, his eyes darting nervously to his mother. His guilty face and his constant shy smile made Kage smile too. That look… he looked so much like someone else; his identical twin. Kage had seen this before.

  “I… I was trying to help my brother,” Liam stammered. “He’s sick, really sick. He needs his medicine, but… but he doesn't like taking it and Dad would get mad if he doesn't.” He glanced at his mother; a mixture of guilt and fear etched on his young face. “So, I took some…" he paused.

 His mom cleared her throat making Kage and the patient look. 

 "I have been taking some... many of his pills, for a year now. We are identical twins, no one knew we'd switch places to take his medication” His voice was barely a whisper, barely audible.

  Kage nodded slowly, his eyes understanding but firm. “And you took what, exactly?” he asked, his expression and tone calm and gentle as he looked over to Liam’s mother. His eyes met with her distraught look, her apprehension about what their Dad would do.

 Liam swallowed hard, his Adam’s apple bobbing. "It’s… it's his bone medication. He needs it."

 The boy's confession brought a searing flashback. Seven months ago, days before his accident, Liam, his mother, and his twin brother had been in this same room, seeking help for the boy's worsening condition. Now, looking at Liam's pale, drawn face, Kage saw the echo of that earlier visit, the same desperate hope, the same unspoken fear. 

 Coincident? Maybe not.

 If only he had known Liam was the one taking the medications back then. He seemed like a genuine kid.

 "I know you're trying to help your brother, Liam," Kage said softly. He paused to notice how Liam avoided looking at his mother. She kept trying to call him but he kept avoiding it. "But taking someone else's prescription medication is incredibly dangerous. Even if you’re trying to do a good thing, you’re not only hurting yourself, but also your mom, your dad, and your brother. What will your brother do if something happens to you?"

 Liam's gaze dropped to his hands, his knuckles white as he clenched them tightly. A single tear traced a path down his cheek.

 “I… I’m sorry, Mom,” he mumbled, his voice choked with emotion. He turned to look at his mother, apologizing again. His eyes looked pained and lost as he looked towards his mother who soon moved to him. Her reassuring nod, all was forgiven.

 Kage placed a reassuring hand on Liam’s arm. “Don’t worry, you'll be okay. We just need to do a CT scan to see what's going on. We’ll get you the help you need.” He paused for a moment before adding "You’re a brave boy, Liam. Truly."

 He released Liam’s arm. “Now, let's get you to radiology and find out what’s really causing that pain, okay?" His voice carried a comforting quality.

 With that, Kage smoothly navigated his wheelchair away from the cubicle and back to his office. At the office, the paperwork piling up on his desk posed a stark reminder of his responsibilities, even in secret.  

 A nurse interrupted his work, informing him of a visitor. Matt.

 Kage just couldn't forget this dude used to be his best friend. Their friendship, once a solid part of Kage's life. Now, everything had fallen apart right before Kage's divorce. To think Matt sent a nude video of them to him and showed up the next day felt so surreal. Matt's affair with Clara wasn't just a mistake, Matt had no respect for the bro code.

 The sight of Matt brought a wave of complicated emotions. First it was rage, then he got confused about the level of audacity Matt had to see him and lastly, it was Matt's eyes as he sat in front of him.

 "Kage. Good to see you, I guess," Matt grinned.

 Kage retuned the grin, it lasted for two seconds.

 Matt nodded. His gaze roam around the office. He had there before, 8 months ago when he came to visit Kage. 

 "You and Clara. Are you doing great?" He asked.

 Pure malice radiated from Matt's face. The twitch of his nose and the wicked grin stretching across his lips—Each subtle movement intensified the sinister planned speech. All still, Kage was ready for the worst.

 "You aren't planning on doing anything stupid because she left you now, are you?" Matt said.

 Kage looked at him. Their gaze locked.

 He wondered how someone could be so nonchalantly stupid. He wondered how he had managed to remain friend with such a person. 

 "Would you?" Kage tilted his head to the side. Matt copied the movement "Would you do something stupid if it happened to you?" He intoned.

 Matt laughed as he relaxed deeply in the chair. His right leg tapped rhythmically as he thought of what to say.

 “So, the great Kage Allen is five years old now, huh?” Matt said, a sneer playing on his lips.

 "Clara told me all about yesterday." He laughed, the sound grating on Kage’s nerves—Anyone would immediately punch him in the face but not Kage. "I came to see Clara, you know. No offense, you're just not strong enough for her." It was clear provocation.

 For a man like Matt, Kage knew it was an attempt to see him snap but he wouldn't give Matt such satisfaction.

 Matt continued, his words laced with a strange mixture of boasting and insecurity. It was certain he was on a mission that morning and it wasn't just to see Clara.

 He brought up an incident from seven years ago, when Kage had helped him secure a position at Allen Creed Pharmaceuticals. “How’d you do it, Kage? I’ve got a friend who's been applying for months, and he can't get in. This company is the biggest pharmaceutical company in the country. Spill the beans.”

 That was it, he needed Kage's help. 

 This absurdity made him pissed. Not only did he try to rub his stupidity on Kage's face, he was getting his face closer. Like he needed a punch.

 As Matt leaned closer, Kage observed something else in his friend's eyes—a subtle dilation of the pupils. He wasn't concerned; he just found it fascinating especially when it would aid his revenge.

 With a perfect professional detachment he asked, “Are you feeling unwell, Matt? Do you need any medical attention?”

 Matt’s laughter was short, quickly replaced by anger. “Really? You've always been a chicken, Kage. We've known each other for thirteen years, and you're still too inconsiderate to help a friend out.”

 Kage’s response was calm. “We were friends, Matt. We are not.”

 “We still can be,” Matt said, “Clara doesn’t change that. It’s over, we’re adults. We wanted this so why can't you just be happy for her? A rational adult would do the same.”  

 Kage allowed a small smile. “You’re right. We are adults.”

 Matt glared. Beads of sweat formed on his forehead as he waited for Kage. He had expected Kage to help him get the job from a friend. At the moment, he felt Kage was being too unreasonable.

 "Why are you being hard on everything, Kage?" Matt stood up, glaring down at Kage he slapped the take "So you are holding a job secret now? Uh?" 

 The door opened. Susan, a nurse he had attended to earlier that day, poked her head in. Smiling, she looked from Kage to Matt. She read the atmosphere.

 "Dr Allen, the CT scan result is out. I'll be waiting outside" she closed the door behind her.

  Watching Matt's outburst was a show for him but he had something important to do. Kage wheeled himself out, leaving Matt looking frustrated, it was a slap on his face to see his attempts at provocation fell flat.  

 Susan waited patiently outside.

  As they moved down the corridor, Matt’s voice trailed behind them, sharp and angry. “You’re weak, Kage! You didn't even fight for Clara! She deserves the best, and I'm giving it to her. I’d do it again.” he snarled.

 Matt radiated satisfaction. A smug smirk danced on his lips as his arms lifted and fell to his sides, surveying the room with eagerness in his eyes. He craved attention, and Kage was determined to give it to him in full force.

  Unbothered, Kage shook his head, his expression calm. “I’m bigger than this, Matt,” he said, his voice quiet but firm. “I have a life to save.”

  He paused before adding, "You’re a Pharmacist, Matt. The work can be stressful, I totally understand. But you might want to consider therapy. Your pupils are dilated." He paused again before adding, with a knowing smile “I really must go save someone that needs saving, when the urge to dose up again comes, remember to save yourself.” And with that, he smoothly navigated his wheelchair away, leaving Matt stunned and alone.

 Just the spotlight he needed.

 As they got to the radiologist to read the CT scan, Kage smiled. There was hope for Liam after all. He just had a minor liver issue and it would be gone with the proper treatments.

 For Matt, Medication might be off the chart. The dilated pupils; as a doctor he knew might be on drugs. 

What a twist full of outcome.