From: "Newton P. Haights" <newhaights@aol.com> Subject: [PW!] Fighting a Silent Slumber Date: Sunday, May 16, 2004 11:54 PM "Paging Doctor Joseph...Doctor Joseph to cardiology..." The intercom sounded throughout the halls of Saffron Hospital, but in the din of activity in much of its halls, it went unnoticed. Doctors, such as Mr. Joseph, ran to their patients while nurses made their way to theirs. Crowded and noisy...such is the way of a hospital. In one quiet hall in particular, the page would have been heard loud and clear, if not for the simple fact that most of the patients in the rooms couldn't hear much of anything. Most of the comatose patients were placed here until they either came to or passed away. Most of the hospital staff thought it better that way; they considered it easier to concentrate. One could hear the birds chirping outside patients' windows if they listened. One of the rooms in this hall had just become occupied a month earlier, by one A. O'Reilly... **flashback** > "I don't like telling people my last name..." Robert admits, a sweatdrop on > his face, "Who knows what horrible things people could do to me and my loved > ones if they knew my last name?" > "..." Andrew blinks twice, then shrugs, "I wouldn't do anything horrible > with your last name, neither to you nor your loved ones, but I guess we all > have our quirks. Anyway, where can I find the Soul House? The last time I > was here, the dead were still buried at the Tower." > "Oh, it's just south of the Tower. You can't miss it." Robert shakes > Andrew's hand and says, "It's been nice traveling with you! I hope to see > you again soon!" That said, Robert heads off towards his Diversity Gym at a > fast pace, eager to reunite with his beloved girlfriend. "He sure is nice," Andrew said to himself, reflecting on the trip back from Mt. Silver. "Then again, I do always seem to meet the nicest people when I'm walking around..." Andrew looked around himself, to get his bearings. "Ok, the tower's...there, and south is that way, so...ah, there it is! The Soul House!" Just as Andrew took his first step, he felt an odd sensation in his body all at once! His legs immediately froze and his arms fell limp as his entire being suddenly felt empty. It felt as if something had taken all warmth from his body! Before he could scream for help, Andrew collapsed and hit the ground with a thud. As nobody else was around, Robert was the only person who heard the thud and turned around. When he saw Andrew's lifeless body in the middle of the walkway, his eyes went wide and he dashed to Andrew's side! He pulled out his Pokegear and called for emergency services while checking for a pulse. After what seemed like an eternity, although it was only about ten seconds, someone picked up the line. "Kanto Province 911, this is Leanne, please state your emergency." Choking back panic, Robert managed to explain urgently, "There's a young man named Andrew here in Lavender Town who just collapsed all of a sudden!" His fingers fumbled around Andrew's neck, trying to find his jugular. "I''m looking for a pulse, but I can't...wait, I found a pulse! But he seems to be unconscious!" "Where is the emergency located, sir?" "About 100 yards north of the Soul House in Lavender!" "We'll send an ambulance over right away, sir." **end flashback** Robert followed Andrew to Saffron Hospital to make sure he was okay before returning to the Diversity Gym. The emergency staff said the symptoms all pointed to a rare condition called 'Acute AOC[1].' Those who had experienced AOC, both firsthand and as witnesses, reported the feeling akin to "some cosmic guiding power suddenly giving up on [the sufferer] temporarily...yet still keeping an eye out, waiting for a chance to regain control". Although the hospital staff could do nothing to revive Andrew, it was said that no case of AOC has ever resulted in a death of any kind; the only thing anyone would have to worry about for him was that the coma would be indefinite. And so he had been ever since. The room was kept largely undisturbed; nobody who ever set foot in the room had any reason to touch much of anything. Every morning, the birds chirped sweetly at the dawn of a new day, but the chirps fell on deaf ears; every evening, the blazing orange sunset managed to find its way through the buildings and shine through the window, but it shone on blind eyes. The nurse, Nurse Jenny, came by every day to check the diagnostic machinery to ensure his wellbeing and their continued functioning. After all, nobody would want Andrew to be the first victim of AOC. His parents, too, came by once a week to check on him. Despite the reassurance, it just felt wrong for parents not to check on their son in the hospital. Charlotte choked back tears every time she went, as she couldn't bear the sight of her son so helpless. Roger, the stoic father, was entirely confident his son would pull through; he could tell whatever happened, Andrew was fighting inside... TBC... -- <Super_User_2> does the X-box have a reset button? I didnt look at the store displays <Saber> no but it has a spot that says "smash here with hammer" TR Zenigame: you are awesome saber MaouStromIV: why would you spend hundreds of dollars on a console just to smash it with a hammer? Azure Haights: ... Exploding Orange: ... TR Zenigame: because SaBeR TR: Sigh Trent Retwin: Anyway... PillowShinigami: ... Exploding Orange: whoosh TR Zenigame: its xbox TR Zenigame: ;-);-);-)3333333333333 afk SaBeR TR: Who brought this one in? SaBeR TR: You're fucking FIRED. [1] AOC = Author-Onset Catatonia, of course.[2] [2] See? I can do footnotes just like Steffan can.