Ch.10
Kim sat waiting outside the GJ operating room that Ron entered hours before. Rufus was forcing himself to stay awake in the beginning but Kim had him sedated so that he could rest, a naked mole rat needed lots of sleep and it had been hours since the little guy slept.
Looking at the closed doors in front of her, Kim couldn't help thinking of Ron being dead for a whole minute.
Ron had died and Kim knew it had been her fault.
Thinking through back to that minute, that had felt infinitely longer, Kim reinforced her feelings that Ron was hers and she was going to get him away from Sarah and Yori.
~~~
Tara's homework was a pile of balled up papers by the trashcan.
No matter what she tried, her head was not in the schoolwork and she kept making mistakes. She kept having the feeling that Ron was hurt but his cell wasn't being picked up.
She had tried asking Felix and Monique but beside mirroring her worry they didn't know what was going on.
~~~
Bonnie had just maliciously lashed out at Brick on their date and the only thing that kept going through her head was that Ron was hurt, not improving the situation as Brick drove her home.
~~~
Yori was beside herself as she waited for Ron and she didn't know why.
Normaly she was able to maintain a calm state of mind even during a specially difficult mission.
She kept glancing at her phone waiting for information when a secured call came through from Akito.
Switching over to Japanese she answered the call. "Hello, Akito-kun."
"Yori-san, there has been trouble." Where the first words that Akito spoke setting Yori's heart to maximum speed.
"How is he?" She asked trying her best not to cry.
"He is in surgery." Akito answered and began to explain. "We have looked through his x-rays and from what Sae could tell, two bullets hit his liver and one of them nicked a vein. We have notified Master Sensei and he is doing what he can from Japan through astral projection. Add the doctors efforts and we believe he will make it through this."
When Yori heard those words she almost wept with joy. 'Ron is going to be alright.' She firmly thought, aware that if he was not going to make it, Akito would have told her to brace herself.
"Akito-kun, how did he come to be injured?" Yori asked trying to understand what led to the current situation.
Akito was silent a moment before he spoke. "Just before the infiltration mission..."
After Akito explained the details on what led to Ron's injury. The disagreement that Ron had on continuing the mission. How, as Ron had the attention of people in the command center, Kim's entrance resulted in him getting shot. And how they interfered and brought Ron out off the compound. Then proceeded to contact Master Sensei and monitor the situation before finally contacting Yori.
Yori processed the report she was given coming to the conclusion of several things. One, she was going to speed up Ron's training, since similar situations are likely to happen again. Two, as much as she'd like to set Kim straight on her decision that led to Ron getting injured, Ron himself agreed to the risk by following her to complete the mission. And three, this one she found the most important, she was going to actively show Ron her affection since she didn't want to waste any of her time with him, especially since she didn't know how long it was.
'Wonder if Shego-san is going to take this news well?' Yori mused to herself hoping she didn't get a call yet or at least till Ron was back.
'No, I'll call her, I would like to be kept in the loop myself.'
~~~
Shego had just wrecked another training equipment and her mood just kept getting worse. She couldn't shake the feeling something was wrong with Ron but when she called him he didn't pick up. Add to that the fact his phone stopped transmitting its location and it was last pinged in Africa.
The result, a pissed off Shego.
Just as she was getting ready for the next bout of destruction, not training, her phone went off. She had it in her hands in the blink of an eye.
"Ron?" She asked hoping there was no edge to her voice.
"Its Yori, Shego-san." Yori replied.
"Yori, what the hell is going on?" Shego asked while she mentally slapped herself for forgetting to call Yori for information.
"Ron-san, has been injured but we believe he is going to be alright." Yori answered.
"Mission?" Shego asked to be sure.
"Yes." Was all Yori said.
"Will you call me when you hear from him?" Shego asked in a pleading tone.
"Of course, Shego-san." Yori promised.
~~~
Ann was on edge.
Ann had just finished going over patient files for a surgery, but was struggling to focus on her job. She had a feeling Ron wasn't doing well and that made her wonder if Kim was okay. Tired of the back and forth, Ann brought out her phone to dial the Load residence.
After a few rings, a women's voice came on the line. "Load's residence, Gwen speaking."
"Hi Gwen, it's Ann." Ann spoke.
"Hello Ann, what can I do for you?" Gwen asks.
"My daughter went on a mission today and I wanted a progress report if that's okay." Ann says.
"Oh sure, let me call Wade." Gwen agreed.
A minute or two later, Wade's voice is on the line. "Hello, Dr. Possible."
"Hello, Dr. Load." With a smile, Ann greets Wade before asking what's on her mind. "How are Kim and Ron?"
"About that Dr. Possible, there was a complication during the mission..." Wade proceeds to explain what happened in the mission.
By the time Wade had finished explaining, Ann's emotions were in range from angry beyond belief to beside herself with worry. Angry that governments would send kids to deal with such a volatile situation and that they had allowed both Kim and Ron to put themselves in danger like that by giving them permission to go on missions. Worried that Ron might not survive and that Kim wouldn't recover from leading him into that fate.
"Wade, can you put me in contact with Kim?" Ann asked.
~~~
Kim jumped out of her seat when the Kimmunicator went off. She had been so focused on the operating room door that the familiar tune scared her into alertness. Quickly taking out the unit Kim answered.
"Go Wade."
"Kim, your mom is on the line and has been informed of the situation. She wants to talk to you." Wade explained.
"Please put her through, Wade." Kim asked.
In moments, Wade's voice was replaced with Ann's. "Kim, can you hear me?"
"Yes mom, loud and clear." Kim responded and began to pour out what was going through her head. "Listen mom, I know I messed up. We weren't ready for the mission once the fighting broke out."
"Kim." Ann said.
"And Ron was right, we didn't have the proper training to tackle the situation. I should have listened to what he had to say instead of overruling his opinion." Kim went on not really listening to Ann.
"Kimmie..." Ann tried again.
Kim couldn't stop as she kept explaining. "It was my fault that he got shot. He followed my plan to the letter..."
"Kimberley Ann Possible! Would you be quiet and listen to me!" Ann finally raised her voice hoping to get through to her daughter.
"Yes." Kim quietly replied tears at the corner of her eyes.
"Are you alright honey?" Ann asked.
Kim finally broke into tears.
"Mom he was dead!" Kim cried into the line. "For a whole minute he was dead and it's my fault. Now he's been in surgery for hours and its unknown whether he will make it or not!"
"Sweetie blaming yourself is not going to change anything. I know for a fact Ron wouldn't blame you." Ann consoled Kim knowing that Ron would do the same. "Now you need to be strong, when Ron makes it pass the surgery he's going to need your help more than ever."
Kim focused on Ann's words like a lifeline. 'When Ron makes it past the surgery he was going to need me.' Kim told herself a couple of times till she felt like she calmed down.
"Thanks mom."
"No problem." Ann said. "Now I want to be kept up to date on everything, the time of day does not matter. Also has anyone told the Stoppable's?"
"I don't know mom, I'll have to ask Wade." Kim admitted.
~~~
Dean and Barbara Stoppable were not the best parents.
They were currently in a meeting with their investment firm and going over the investment portfolio for the next six months to see if it was to be approved. Ron's money from the Naco royalties that were scheduled to come yearly and the left over from the first check that they invested for Ron, of course, he has yet to be informed of this, was growing nicely.
Barbara and Dean combined were a capable team when it came to managing and investing money. As a result they could travel wherever on a moment's notice and it lead to some questionable choices when it came to parenting. Even before Ron's royalties came into the picture, their lifestyle was funded by their own salaries and investments. And by this point in their life they were likely the richest family in Middleton, Colorado.
Of course, they never told Ron of their assets and took their time properly teaching him the value of money. Which proceeded to disappoint them when Ron squandered the majority of his first royalty check.
Both Stoppable's had no inkling as to what had befallen their son, as they continued their meeting.
~~~
Ron didn't know how long he was unconscious for but eventually he found himself in his mindscape. Ron sighed to himself glad that he wasn't dead yet and greeted Xu Ming Yue.
"Hi, Teacher Xu."
"Hello Ron." Xu Ming Yue greeted and pointed out. "Seems like you made it through the worst."
"Yeah." Ron simply agreed.
Xu Ming Yue took a moment to think before speaking. "Ron I want to clarify a couple things before we move forward and I continue your training."
"Yes, Tracher Xu." Ron agreed getting serious.
"Why did you reject the MMP for so long?" Xu Ming Yue asked and explained. "I know you fear monkeys from your memories but I can't understand why you rejected the power."
Hearing her question, Ron thought the answer was stupid but said it anyway. "At first it was truly out of fear of monkeys. Then, after a while and my body hadn't showed any sign of going simian, I feared what I would become with so much power. You see, I have a tendency to let things go to my head."
Xu Ming Yue nodded and proceeded to think for a moment while Ron waited for other questions to come.
"Are you okay with me having access to your eyes and ears while I train you?" Xu Ming Yue asked after some time.
Ron was not expecting that as a question. He expected other questions into his character or morals, not about access to his senses. Seeing Xu Ming Yue's smile, he could tell she knew what he was thinking.
Having a question come to mind he asked. "May I ask why?"
Still smiling, Xu Ming Yue explained. "It has been a long time since I got to see the world and I'm curious as to what else has changed. Your memories showed plenty but being able to see and hear as things happen would be fantastic."
After hearing her reason, Ron didn't see why not and agreed, neglecting that he gave her access to even his private life.
Like this, Ron proceeded to talk with Xu Ming Yue for a long time until he felt himself waking. At that point, Xu Ming Yue reminded him to continue healing himself to get better but wait till he was back at home to heal himself fully so as not to raise any questions.
~~~
As Ron was waking up, he took the time to inspect the wound and begin healing himself. He focused on the internal injuries deciding that the stitches would help camouflage his condition with the doctors before he was discharged.
When he fully allowed his consciousness to return he noticed that he wasn't alone. Kim was in the room with him and from the looks of it she was having a nightmare. Not cruel enough to just watch, he reached for her hand and squeezed it.
In a moment, Kim settled and stopped moving. Seeing this Ron smiled to himself.
Ron then looked to a couple of places in the room before whispering in Japanese. "Thank you!"
When they nodded in return, Ron settled, then remembered Rufus and asked. "Where is Rufus?"
"Ron!" Was the reply he got as Kim woke up. A moment later, she started crying.
Ron could guess what was bothering her and for the moment chose to let Kim vent. Rubbing her hand with his thumb he waited till Kim let it all out of her system.
"Feeling better, KP?" Ron asked once Kim stopped crying.
"Yeah, Ron...I'm sorry." Kim said after a moment of hesitation. "It was my fault you got hurt."
"One of us was bound to get hurt eventually, I'm just glad it was me." Ron quietly admitted.
"Why would you think that?" Kim asked when she heard him.
"I promised to have your back as long as we were going on missions together." Ron looked Kim straight in the eye and answered, then thought to himself. 'Even if it leads me to a shallow grave with a bullet in the back of the head.'
"Ron, I promise that it won't happen again. Next time I'll properly listen to your opinion." Kim promised Ron after seeing his resolve.
"Now Kim, where is Rufus?" Ron asked seeing that the things troubling Kim were settled.
"Oh, he's here in my pocket." Kim answered and began explaining. "I had him sedated so he could rest. I was worried that his health might be at risk if he didn't sleep and you always mentioned that Naked Mole Rats needed lots of sleep."
"I understand but he is going to be mad at you for that." Ron stated taking Rufus from Kim's hands and started to massage the little guy.
After that, Ron suggested that Kim get some rest and a while later she conceded.
"Sorry for the delay Master Sensei." Ron apologized after Kim left the room.
"It's not a problem, Stoppable-san." Master Sensei said as his astral form came into view.
"I'm guessing you helped me once again. Thank you, Master Sensei." Ron said truly grateful for the help.
"Ah, this time I could not help." Master Sensei lamented and pointed out. "But you were instrumental in your recovery as I observed. I assume that it was thanks to your MMP?"
"Yes, Master Sensei. Soon I am to start receiving instruction." Ron explained.
"Wonderful progress, Stoppable-san." Master Sensei commended.
Ron proceeded to explain to Master Sensei about the healing techinique and his plans to use it inside his body till he gets better. After Master Sensei agreed that it was a wise course of action, since it would protect him from praying eyes.
~~~
When Yori was informed that Ron made it through his surgery and had woken up, she was relieved to the point of tears. After letting the information sink in for a while, Yori dialed Shego.
"Yori, what's the news?" Was the first thing Shego said into the line.
"Ron-san made it through the surgery and has woken up." Yori explained.
There was a sigh on the line.
"Thank you, Yori. Keep in touch." Shego said and hung up.
Yori was surprised by how short the conversation was but figured that Shego wanted some privacy to deal with her emotions.
~~~
Monique had tried dialing Kim enough times to irritate the most social of people but had yet to reach her. Having no other choice, she did what a highly concerned friend should do, Monique called her mom, finding her the easiest Dr. Possible to talk to.
"Dr. Possible, how may I help you?" Ann spoke.
"Hello, Dr. Possible, it's Monique, a friend of Kim's." Monique greeted then explained. "I was wondering if they are okay. By now Kim usually calls me back so I can't help but worry."
"Ah, Monique, yes, I remember you." Ann confirmed. "As for their safety, they are both okay. There was a mishap in the mission and Ron got hurt but he is okay, expected to make a full recovery."
If Monique didn't know any better, she would have guessed that Ann was trying to convince herself that Ron was okay instead of her. Still, Monique couldn't get past that Ron was hurt and asked for the details. When she heard Ron was shot twice Monique cried for a while before, quite frankly, begging Ann to keep her informed and to tell Kim to call her.
~~~
Anyone who wanted information in Middleton High knew that Monique was the girl to call, so not surprisingly, Tara was making that call. The day before she knew Monique had nothing but Tara knew twenty four hours was bound to change that.
The second the line connected, Tara spoke not giving Monique a chance. "I need to know if Ron is okay?"
"Tara, I'm going to need you to sit down." Monique stated sending Tara's heart a two hundred beat request.
"He's hurt isn't he?" Tara asked into the line crying.
The only thing Tara heard before she fainted was Monique sighing and saying yes.
~~~
Bonnie was starting to get ticked at her bestfriend. Tara was supposed to meet her at the mall twenty minutes prior and had still to make an entrance. To top it off, Bonnie's mood had been bad the last two days as she found herself worried about Ron, which she had sworn that she would not do again, since he broke his promise from ballet school that summer years ago.
When her phone rang she assumed it was Tara and started to complain when she picked up. "Tara where have you been? You have me waiting..."
The rest of her words died as Monique screamed. "Shut it, Queen B, I need you to check on Tara."
Switching gears lightning fast, Bonnie had already gotten up and was heading towards her car. "What happened?"
"She called to find out if Ron was okay." Monique began to explain. "Then I started to tell her he was hurt in the mission but before I could finish explaining there was a loud noise and she stopped responding. I think she passed out."
Bonnie's expression solidified into the Queen B persona, her emotions hidden and locked. 'What happened to Ron?' She demanded of herself to ask but couldn't voice the question.
"How long ago was your conversation with Tara?" Bonnie asked.
"Twenty to thirty minutes ago." Monique replied then added. "I stayed on the line for a while hoping she came to, but no luck."
"I'll be at Tara's in five minutes." Bonnie simply said, still thinking to herself what happened to Ron?
Just as Bonnie stopped in front of Tara's, she noticed that Tara's mom's car was in the driveway. Walking up to the door, Bonnie rang the doorbell and waited.
"Hello, Bonnie, what can I do for you?" Mrs. King asks Bonnie when she opened the door.
Bonnie quickly explained that Tara likely fainted while on the phone with Monique and Monique sent her over to check on her. A now concerned Mrs. King told Bonnie to come in as she raced up the stairs. As she made it upstairs, Bonnie found Mrs. King cradling Tara as she checked the bruise on Tara's face.
"Bonnie can you go to the bathroom and bring the first aid kit? It has some smelling salt that should wake Tara up." Mrs. King asked.
"No problem." Bonnie replied and hurried towards the bathroom.
In moments, she was back with the first aid kit and kneeled down next to Tara and Mrs. King, opening it.
"The blue and white ammonia inhalants." Mrs. King directed. "Yes, those."
Bonnie opened the packaging and handed one of them to Mrs. King, who placed it under Tara's nose. The effect was quick and Tara woke up, but just as soon as she did she went hysterical. Tara tried to shake off her mother as looked around, not finding what she was looking for she asked.
"Has anyone seen my cell phone. I need to call Monique. I need to know how bad was Ron hurt. I need to know if he is okay!" Crying and nearly shouting, Tara continued to look around.
Bonnie quickly dialed Monique and put her on speaker before handing the phone over to Tara.
When Monique answered, Tara shouted. "How bad was Ron hurt? Is he going to be okay? Have you managed to speak with him? Can I speak with him?"
"Glad you're okay, Tara." Was the first thing Monique said before she explained. "Now I want you to sit down before I explain, I don't want you to faint and hurt yourself."
Mrs. King pulled Tara towards the bed and sat with her as Bonnie sat on the other side and held Tara's hand.
"I'm seating." Tara said.
"While on a mission with Kim, Ron was shot twice." Monique said to a now trembling Tara and a pale Bonnie. "A vein was nicked by a bullet causing lots of bleeding and both bullets impacted the liver. He underwent surgery and is awake, but I have yet to talk to either Kim or Ron. This information is from Kim's mom and she is going to keep me informed till I can get a hold of Kim."
"Is he expected to recover?" Tara asked shaking even as her mom held her.
"I was told that he was expected to make a full recovery but I don't know any details." Monique explained.
Tara continued to cry, now hugging Bonnie as her mom hugged her. It was a few minutes before a crying Monique spoke again.
"Tara, I have to go. I have a shift at five and now I have to redo my makeup." Monique said as she hung up.
Mrs. King waited a few more minutes till Tara settled down before speaking. "Tara sweetie, I want to know all about this Ron."
~~~
After Ron spoke with Master Sensei he tried healing his internal injuries till he was satisfied there was no more internal damage and then began meditating, after a while he was able to enter his mindscape.
"Wow, can't believe that worked." Ron stated surprised that he made the connection.
"It just serves to prove your learning capabilities, afterall you have been coming here a lot lately." Xu Ming Yue commented.
"Teacher Xu, I was wondering of you would like to meet Master Sensei?" Ron asked.
To say Xu Ming Yue was surprised was an understatement, as she quickly asked. "Ron are you aware of the risk involved? Giving someone that much access to yourself could result in them destroying you from within."
"I know, but I trust Master Sensei and I like to think that I'm a good judge of character." Ron explained.
Hearing Ron's explanation, Xu Ming Yue decided to trust Ron's judgement and agreed to meet Master Sensei.
With her consent Ron left his mindscape and asked Akito to contact Master Sensei. A few minutes later he invited Master Sensei's astral form to enter his mindscape and meet with Xu Ming Yue.
In his mindscape, Ron waited a moment till Master Sensei's form appeared and introduced. "Master Sensei, I'd like you to meet Xu Ming Yue. Xu Ming Yue this is Master Sensei, a man I consider my mentor."
~~~
After Ron introduced Master Sensei and Xu Ming Yue, he went to the side and began meditating choosing to give them privacy.
A long time later, he was brought out of meditation by Xu Ming Yue to start his lessons. He was to learn a means to exercise his body, making full use of his body weight. By the time he memorized the exercises that resembled yoga he wondered if his body would be able to achieve some of the more complex stances. Especially the ones where he was on only a foot or hand. Then, Xu Ming Yue explained that he was to run a set amount a day in alternating speeds to work on his stamina and endurance. She explained that the running, in combination with the flexibility and muscle exercises, would help him meet the minimum requirements for the training to come.
Afterwards, she asked Ron to enter meditation and continued to train him to remain aware of his surroundings while meditating, so that he could protect himself if need be. Xu Ming Yue also explained that at certain moments while handling Ki, it was dangerous to stop midway and that doing so would cause damage, stressing that if he was meditating to increase his control or capacity with Ki, a calm environment was crucial.
As Ron was training, he noticed that Master Sensei and Xu Ming Yue continued to converse. At some point, Xu Ming Yue started teaching Master Sensei the healing technique, while checking to see if he was able to move his awareness around his body and more specifically, throughout his body at the same time. When Master Sensei confirmed that he could, Xu Ming Yue summoned an astral body and showed him how to guide the Ki for the desired effect.
"Is this technique applicable to other people?" Master Sensei asked, to which Xu Ming Yue smiled and nodded.
Like this, Ron continued his awareness training till Xu Ming Yue was satisfied and moved to the next step.
~~~
Ron had to admit he was starting to enjoy being in the hospital. There was only one reason for that, Kim. Since he woke up from the surgery, Kim has been paying attention to him again and Ron could honestly say he missed hanging out, talking with and just being around Kim.
Still, he knew the moment would eventually end so Ron was going to make the most of it.
On the second day since the surgery, Ron had just finished asking Akito if they were getting enough rest and food, when Kim came in wearing a GJ training suit that she had changed into. Deciding it was time, Ron took a moment to organize his thoughts before looking Kim in the eye.
"Hey KP, I want to tell you something." Ron stated to draw her attention.
"Sure, Ron, what's up?" Kim asked.
Ron took a deep breath before speaking. "I know you have a boyfriend and it's unfair of me to spring this on you but," Ron raised his hand to prevent Kim from interrupting. "I felt like this from a long time and it's time I tell you. KP, I like you as more than a friend. You are one of the most beautiful women I've ever seen and you know I met a lot of them. I find you to be an amazing girl. All the good you do to help others even inspires me to try harder. Above all, you've been my bestfriend for so long. I know this is a lot, but I want to know if there is ever a chance that you'd see me as more than your friend, maybe one of those hotties you always chase after."
Kim's expression was one of surprise, but Ron was expecting that from his confession. It took Kim a moment to find her voice and the first thing that slipped through, hurt Ron in more ways than he could describe.
"But...you're not." Kim whispered softly to herself, but Ron was still able to hear it, his expression dimming. "I know that you're a great guy, Ron, but you're not that guy for me. You're not," 'A hottie.' Ron added to himself. "What I'm looking for in a partner."
"I understand KP, I just had to get that off my chest." Ron admitted quietly. "Pretend I never said anything."
"Ron, are you going to be okay?" Kim asked.
"Of course, now I have officially been rejected by all the girls at Middleton High." Ron joked and changed the topic. "Can you check when they are letting me go home? Being confined to this room is driving me nuts."
"Sure, I'll be right back." Kim quickly said understanding that he might want to be alone for a bit.
After Kim left, Ron felt Rufus climb onto his shoulder and spoke. "That was a horrible crash, wasn't it buddy?"
Rufus patted his face as he spoke. "Hnk, sorry."
"It's actually okay, buddy." Ron confessed. "Now I don't have to wonder if it would work out and can move on."
"Yori..Shego...Tara...Monique!" Rufus reminded hoping to improve Ron's mood.
"Thanks Rufus, you always know what to say." Ron smiled knowing what Rufus was trying to do.
As Ron started to wonder if he could go home, Kim made it back in with a doctor. After talking with the dorctor for a while it was agreed that they would discharge Ron in a day, as long the next test's results came back okay. Satisfied with that answer, Ron asked about some pain meds and after a couple other topics, the doctor left to schedule the tests.
~~~
It was Wednesday, around 8pm, when Monique's phone rang with a call from Kim. Excited Monique picked up.
"Girl it was about time you called." Monique said in way of greeting. "I've been worried about you guys, how's baby boy doing?"
"Sorry about that Monique, I was caught up in what happened." Kim explained. "Mom told me that she explained to you what happened when I talked with her earlier and she reminded me to call you. As for Ron, he doing okay, right now they have him doing some tests to see if he can go home."
"How bad was it Kim?" Monique asked what was really on her mind.
"It was a close one Monique, he was gone for a minute." Kim stated.
When Monique heard gone, she knew what Kim meant, but had to be sure. "What do you mean, gone?"
"His heart had stopped Monique, there was a whole minute where his heart had stopped." Kim said her voice breaking a bit.
When Monique heard this, tears flowed down her face and she resolved herself to treasure this opportunity.
"How did it happen?" Monique asked wanting to know the details.
Kim proceeded to explain that what was supposed to be a simple stealth and extraction mission got complicated when the locals attacked the compound, where the dictator they were supposed to extract, was located. Then, after making the infiltration to the command center things went wrong. First Ron went in as a distraction and a while later Kim went in, but what she didn't realize at the time was that when she made her entrance, Ron had been shot. Once Wade told her Ron was hurt she looked around the room and found a puddle of blood, but no Ron.
"Ron made his way out of the compound while injured and returned to our landing point." Kim stated and continued explaining.
Once Kim made it outside the compound, she found Ron and he had already extracted the bullets but seemed to have passed out. After the evacuation team made it and as they were working on his injuries, his heart had stopped for a whole minute. Then, they got it going again and he was able to make it to a GJ base for full medical attention.
"That's pretty much all of it." Kim stated.
"He is lucky to be alive!" Monique cried then asked. "How did you notice he was hurt?"
"Oh, Wade hacked into the camaras." Kim lied.
"I want to talk to him, Kim." Monique begged.
"Okay, Monique." Kim agreed. "Once Ron is done with the tests, I'll have him call you."
"Thank you Kim, you don't know how much this means to me." Monique thanked Kim excited to talk to Ron.
"Monique, I have major news!" Kim said bringing Monique's attention back to the conversation. "He confessed."
"Who did?" Monique didn't understand who Kim was talking about so she asked.
"Ron!" Kim clarified.
Monique's excitement stilled and was slowly replaced with dread. 'Ron finally did it.' She thought. "So, what did you tell him?"
"I let him down easy." Stated an oblivious Kim. "I have my hottie and as great a guy Ron is, well, he's not a hottie." Kim admitted.
Monique didn't know whether to be disgusted at Kim's shallowness or celebrate it. For now she decided to confirm Kim wasn't dumb enough to tell him that. "Please tell me you didn't use those words to shut him down?"
"No, of course not." Kim said and explained. "I told him he wasn't the guy for me or what I was looking for in a partner."
Monique sighed, thinking that it was probably Kim's greatest mistake to date. "GF(girl friend) to be totally honest with you I think you made a mistake."
"What makes you think that, Monique?" Kim asked curious.
"If I was asked to explain Ron as a partner, I would say that he's what every girl should look for in a guy." Monique stated and began to explain. "One, he is loyal to a fault. Two, the guy CAN cook! Three, Ron is like a gem in the rough, a little polish and you made your investment back in tons. Last, but not least, once Ron grows into his own, he'll put the hotties to shame."
"Monique, he's Ron." Kim said. "Yes, he is loyal. Yes, he can cook, but a gem? Putting the hotties to shame? Aren't you giving your friend too high an appraisal?"
"Yes, gem." Monique said and explained. "Your talent show song, who wrote the lyrics? Ron! Who won said talent show? Ron! His act showed that he had versatility, on the drop of hat, he showed enough talent in various areas to win. Next, Naked Mole Rap and the Naco!" Monique simply said.
"Okay point made but he is still not a hottie." Kim argued.
"LATD(let's agree to disagree)." Monique said.
"What?" Kim asked.
"Let's agree to disagree." Monique clarified.
~~~
When Ron got back from the tests, Kim was waiting for him with his meal, which consisted of liquids. Downing a shake, Ron looked over and noticed Kim was absentminded.
"What's wrong?" Ron asked.
"Oh! Nothing, just thinking about something Monique said." Kim admitted.
"Wanna talk about it?" Ron asked just to be sure.
"No, it's okay." Kim said and added. "She wants to talk to you, so once you're done with dinner, I'll have Wade connect you."
"Thanks, but can you leave the Kimmunicator instead? I have various calls that I have to make specially to my parents, they must be worried sick by now." Ron asked and explained.
"Sure, but Ron." Said Kim hesitating before continuing. "We have tried calling your mom's cellphone but no one has picked up or called back."
Ron smiled sadly at this, having his hope, that they were back home waiting for him, dashed.
After he finished eating, Ron called Monique since she had already expected a call from him. When Monique answered on the first ring, Ron knew she had been waiting.
"Hey Monique, it's Ron." He greeted.
"Baby boy glad to hear from you!" Monique said into the line. "How are you?"
"I'm okay." Ron said and proceeded to answer Monique's questions while assuring her that he was fine.
They talked for nearly half an hour before Ron asked Monique if she could dial Tara make a three way call so he could talk to her. When she agreed it wasn't long before Tara's voice was on the line.
"Anymore news from Ron?" Was the first thing Tara said.
Touched by her concern Ron greeted. "Hey Tara, I'm on the line."
"Ron!" Tara's tear filled voice replied, as she proceeded to ask much the same questions that Monique had earlier.
Once Ron assured Tara that he was indeed okay, they proceeded to talk about school and the classes he missed. Then, Ron promised to call them the moment he got back to Middleton.
With that out of the way Ron proceeded to have Wade call Mr. Barkin. To the gruff voice of the school administrator and teacher Ron greeted. "Hello, Mr. B."
"Stoppable, why are you calling at this hour?" Barkin asked.
"Sir, I was just wondering if you had been informed of what happened?" Ron asked.
"Yes, I got a call from a Dr. Wellstone. The proper paperwork was placed on file with the nurses office and administration." Mr. Barkin answered.
"Thank you sir, I also wanted to make sure that my schoolwork was sent over with the right person." Ron stated.
Afterwards, Ron explained that he would like his assignments sent with Yori and that he would be calling her afterwards to check with her. Barkin proceeded to ask a few questions before he was satisfied.
Next, Ron proceeded to dial his house number instead of Yori's cell since he'd yet to memorize it. When the call went to voicemail Ron knew she wasn't comfortable with answering and was probably listening to the voicemail so he spoke. "Hey Yori, it's Ron."
With that the line connected and Yori's voice came through. "Ron-san, it is good to hear from you. I was worried."
Ron apologized and proceeded to explain what happened, since Wade recorded any communications that went through him and he didn't want to explain why Yori already knew he was hurt.
"Yori, I also wanted to know if you're okay with picking up my assignments from school?" Ron asked.
Yori's reply made them both laugh as she stated. "It would be my honor, Ron-san."
"Thanks Yori." Ron said and asked. "Can you call Sarah for me and let her know what happened? Also that I'll be calling her once I get to Middleton?"
They then proceeded to talk for an hour just catching up.