Played For A Fool

Confusion is My Middle Name

Kai wanted nothing more than to give Cinder happiness. He wanted the world for the heartbroken girl that he loved. He just wanted her to get everything that she deserved, but instead she was in a sterile, death-filled hospital with death's wide arms slowly encircling her.

Commonwealth hospital stood out like Hagrid at Hogwarts amongst the small surrounding buildings. It was huge, just as his father had intended it to be.

Kai remembered when his father had first opened its doors in the hope of finding a cure to Letumosis. He had wanted nothing more than to make the world a better place, and he did it through building a hospital.

The Commonwealth hospital wasn't completely devoted to Letumosis patients, however. They had an entire wing dedicated to Letumosis research, but there was also an emergency wing. The wing that Cinder would be in.

Car screeching to a stop in the half-filled parking lot, Kai jumped out of his car. Iko and Winter hurried and followed suit. Iko with a determined glint in her bright gold eyes, and Winter shaking terribly.

The trio ran inside the hospital as though they were being chased. The cold nipped as their bare arms and ankles, but none of them payed any attention to it or the nearly black sky. 

For the first time in Kai's life, he was grateful that he was the head Doctor's son. It had always annoyed him when people told him that his father was their doctor. Why Kai would need to know that, he would never discover. This time, however, he was glad that everyone inside the hospital knew who he was.

A Nurse at the front desk looked at Kai with large, brown startled eyes. Kai was reminded of Cinder, and a lump seemed to form in his throat, but he shoved it down. "Mr. Prince," the nurse said, "are you alright?"

Kai could have laughed at the question. He was anything but alright. "You just had a patient admitted here," Kai got right to the point. "Her name is Cinder, Cinder Lihn. She got in a car accident, and I have to see her." Kai's voice cracked on the last word.

Clenching his shaking hands, Kai glanced desperately into the Nurse's eyes. She looked at him with pity, which was not uncommon these days. Everyone looked at him as though he were a sad, wounded animal. He was sick of it, but at the moment didn't care much. His only goal was to see Cinder.

"Please," Kai whispered.

The Nurse quickly began to work, typing hastily at her keyboard. Her face scrunched together in concentration as the light from the screen flickered across her face. Her eyes glanced from left to right, and confusion seemed to grow throughout her features.

"Are you sure that your girlfriend was admitted to this hospital?" The Nurse asked. "I'm not seeing her on our list. I could call the other hospitals for you if you'd like."

Kai stared at her blankly, his entire body going numb. What did she mean that Cinder wasn't here? What hospital was she in? None of it added up.

Kai remembered Cress's words exactly, as though it were a recorded message replaying over and over again through his brain.

"Kai, it's Cinder. She- she got in an accident. I'm s-so sorry. She was driving and the other car ran a red light. It was horrible. Kai, you have to get to Commonwealth Hospital right now. You need t-to say... Kai, you need to say goodbye. I'm so, so sorry. I'm so sorry. I'm sorry."

Cress had said that Cinder was in a car accident. She had told him that Cinder was on her deathbed. She had given him very specific instructions, but now none of it made sense. Maybe Cress had been lied to, or...

Iko tapped Kai on the shoulder, and he realized that everyone was looking at him. He shook his head, scolding his brain for thinking such crazy things, but who could blame him? His entire day was just one big bundle of confusion.