Kaimoana Tales, Riley 10

(Here we go. This is going to be the last of Riley, for a while - it's getting longer & longer and i've got other stuff i want to get posted - a bit out of order, but - whatever.)

Some days are longer than others. The hours pass, but slowly. Riley tried, but he just couldn’t get into school that day; not even the socializing, which is the important part. He so did not want to be there.

He thought seriously about ditching, at lunchtime, but didn’t – he’d suffer the day out. Tammy had said to come back after school; the cave-boy would be busy until then.

He must’ve been asked a hundred times about the cave-boy he’d found. News travels fast in a small town. Even Ashton, and his fans, came over to ask him about it. He was as mystified as anyone about where the boy had came from.

Riley looked hard at Ashton, but he couldn’t see the hurt in him that Peter saw. He looked happy enough to him Who wouldn’t want to be Ashton Woods? Peter was either very perceptive, or he was dreaming. Riley thought that he was probably dreaming.

Finally! The school-day was over and he was outta there! He didn’t go home and didn’t go near the café, in case his mum slowed him down. He went straight up the hill to the hospital.

He walked in and there was a different lady at the desk. He didn’t know her, but she knew who he was.

“Hello, Riley. You’re a welcome sight. We’ve been waiting for you.”

“You have? Good, I guess.”

“Yes. Doctor Stevens wants to talk to you. He’s in his office there; I’ll tell him that you’re here.”

She called him on the intercom. A door opened and Doctor Stevens looked out. “Ah, Riley. There you are. I want a word with you. Come in here for a minute.”

Riley went into the small office, the doctor sat back at his desk and waved him to the visitor’s chair. “Sit down there, make yourself comfortable and don’t look so worried.”

(‘Worried? I’m not worried, am I? I’ve done nothing.’)

“Now, it’s about our patient, of course – the cave-boy.”

“The cave-boy, yes. How is he, Doctor?”

“He’ll be fine. Well, physically he will be. I’m a bit concerned about his mental state.”

“Why? What’s he done?”

“Oh, he hasn’t done anything, he just lies there. The boy is terrified, he’s nearly catatonic. He eats, if someone spoon-feeds him, but he won’t do anything for himself. And, oh, those eyes! Do you have any idea who he is?”

“No, I don’t. I’ve never seen him before yesterday.”

“It seems like no-one’s ever seen him, including the police and the welfare people. They know nothing of him. We haven’t been able to get a word out of him all day. Did he speak to you at all, when you found him?”

“No, he didn’t. He didn’t say anything, just whimpered and ran away.”

“Oh, I see.”

“No, wait, he did! He said one word, he said my name. I said, Hi, I’m Riley, and stuff, he looked at me, he said, “Riley’, and then he ran away – up on to the road and in front of a car. I thought I’d killed him.”

“You didn’t kill anyone. You didn’t chase him, he ran.”

“I did chase him, in a way. I ran after him.”

“Of course you did. But, he did say your name?”

“Yes, he definitely did. Is that good?”

“I think so. It’s more than he’s said to anyone else. So at least we know that he can talk, he just won’t. Maybe he’ll talk to you”

“I’ll try. I’ll do whatever I can.”

“Of course you will, and that’s good. Be gentle with him, the boy’s terrified. I really hope that you can get through to him. He’s in Ellis Ward, Julia, on the desk, will show you where. Thank you, Riley.”

“Thank you, Doctor. Thanks for looking after him.”

“We’ll do whatever we can too.”

Julia took him in to the ward. It was a nice room, for a hospital. It was warm, bright and open. The big windows looked out from the front, over the roof-tops of the town and out to sea. There were 4 beds in there, but only one was occupied.

Dressed in green-striped hospital pajamas, a very handsome youth, with short, dark-red hair, lay there looking out the windows. It took Riley a few seconds to realise that this was the same boy he’d seen yesterday. The youth turned his head to look at him and, yes, it was definitely him – he’d know those eyes anywhere. He didn’t look at all like a cave-boy now, he looked good.

“Hey,” he smiled widely. “Remember me? I’m Riley.”

The boy didn’t say anything, but he still had that frightened look in his big eyes. That said a lot. He turned back to the windows again.

He reminded Riley of a small, wild animal, trapped and yearning to be free. Damm! This was a beautiful boy. He was different, but he was just as cute as Peter or Ashton, or any boy that Riley had ever seen. But he was not happy. The poor kid!

His skin was amazingly clear, considering the state that they’d found him in. His hands and feet had cuts and scratches, angry and infected looking, but there wasn’t a blemish on his face. No zits at all.

His face was pale, white and almost translucent looking, and he had red hair! Gingas were not always good-looking, but when they were, they were gorgeous – like this one. He was stunning. Riley would never have recognized him if it wasn’t for those eyes.

The more he looked, the more he liked what he was looking at. Someone said that you don’t love someone because they’re beautiful, they’re beautiful because you love them. If that was true, Riley thought he must be in love already! Gorgeous boy.

But, much as he’d like to, he couldn’t sit there staring all day.

“So, my name is Riley. No, we’ve already done that. You know my name but I don’t know yours. What can I call you?”

He waited, but there was no answer.

“No? I’ve got to call you something. I think I’ll call you ‘Ron’, like Ron Weasley in the Harry Potter movies, you know? No? Well he’s got red hair too, and he’s good-looking. Not as good looking as you though.”

The boy’s eyes fixed on him again and Riley smiled. He still said nothing, but it felt like they were getting somewhere.

“Welcome to Kaimoana, Ron. It’s a cool town. I’ve only been here for a few days and I thought that I was going to hate it here, but I don’t, I like it. Really like it. Everyone’s friendly. We came from Auckland, where did you come from?

No? Okay then. What else? I’m sorry if I scared you yesterday; I didn’t mean to. I’m not scary at all really. More like a wimp.

It was a bugger that you got hit by that car, and the bastards didn’t even stop to see what they’d done to you. But, the nurses all say that it was, kind-of, a good thing that it happened. Because of that, you’re in here now and you’ve been really sick.

But, I s’pose that you know that. You probably don’t want to be in here; I know that I wouldn’t, but this is the best place for you to be right now. Everyone just wants to look after you and help you to get well. You’ll get good food too.

Damm! You’re thin. They’ll fatten you up a bit. Hospital food is not as bad as people say it is – it couldn’t be!

I live in a café, the Craypot Café, down on the main street. There’s just my mum and me there, and the staff, but they don’t live there, they just work there. So do we really, we live in a house up at the back. Anyway, if there’s any food, or anything that you want, let me know and I’ll get it for you. Okay?

Damm, Ron. I’m starting to burble here. This is hard work, talking when you don’t answer me. I wish that you would.

I’ve got your skin cloak thing, they cut it off you, so I took it home and I’ll look after it for you. I wish that you’d talk to me. Tell me to shut up, why don’t you?”

A fleeting smile flicked over the boy’s face and Riley’s heart sang.

“Cool! You are listening, aren’t you? I can talk enough for both of us, but I wish that I didn’t have to.

I just want to be your friend, Ron. All day today, I’ve been wishing that I could be here, but I had to go to school. I’m here now, at last, but I can’t stay too long. I’ve gotta get back and help Mum in the café.

She works me like a dog, but I get paid for it, so that’s all good. I’m saving every cent I make, I want to buy a car. Haven’t got my licence yet, but I’m working on it.

Ashton Woods – he’s a rich kid and he’s like the coolest kid in town – he’s got a bloody Beamer! Imagine that. He got it for his birthday. I wish that I would, but don’t like my chances. Still, any car would be better than none, eh?

Oh, damm! This is hard work. I could tell you my whole life story – I was born at a very young age. But, I’d rather hear something about you. You must’ve had an interesting life.”

Riley was there for an hour, jabbering away, almost non-stop. The only quiet times were when he paused and thought of something else to say. The hospital staff kept looking in and smiling encouragement, but it seemed that he was getting nowhere.

Finally, he had to go, he had work to go to. On impulse, he took the boy’s hand and squeezed it. The boy squeezed back, turned those frightened eyes on him, and he smiled!

“Wow! Thanks. Listen, Kid, you don’t say much, but I still like you. I’ve been talking your ear off here; you’ll be getting sick of me. I’ll give you a rest now, I’ve gotta go.

The café has to be cleaned-up and got ready for another day tomorrow. So, thanks for listening to me. I’ll come back and talk at you again tomorrow. Okay? No? Well, ‘bye Ron, I hope you have a good night.”

He squeezed the hand again and put it back on the bed. He got up and walked away. When he got to the door, the boy coughed. Riley looked back and smiled.

“You know, that’s the most noise you’ve made all day.”

The boy said, “Riley.”

Riley beamed and went back to the bed. “Yes! Great! You know my name, I wish that I knew yours.”

“Jacob,” he replied.

“Jacob? Ohmigosh! Jacob is your name?”

A tear ran down the quiet boy’s cheek and he shook his head vigorously. “No,” he said. “My name is Colin. Where is Jacob?”

“You’re Colin? But who is Jacob?”

“He’s not here?”

“No, there’s no Jacob here.”

“My brother. Jacob is my brother. He was out there and he’s much sicker than I was. He might die; I can not look after him and he might die.”

The boy, Colin, was crying and Riley stood staring.

“Ohmigod. You’ve got a brother? There’s another one??”

Colin nodded and said, “Yes.”

Riley stood, stunned. He backed away slowly, and then he turned and ran out of the door, screaming, “Doctor! Doctor Stevens!!!”