Chapter 33 Chapter Thirty-One Needs

I froze, then turned quickly to see if someone was standing behind me. "Gladys is his wife," Jamie said very quietly. "She didn't escape." "Gladys," Walter said to me, ignoring my reaction, "do you believe I'm going, I've got cancer? Could it be, eh? I've never been sick a day in my life" His It's getting quieter and I can barely hear anything, but his lips are still moving.He was too weak to lift his hands; his fingers gripped the edge of the cot and reached for me. Ian pushed me forward. "What should I do?" I asked quietly.Beads of sweat ooze from my brow, not from the heat and humidity.

"Grandfather lived to be a hundred and one years old," Walter gasped, and his voice was heard again. "Nobody in my family ever had cancer, not even my cousins. But you Didn’t Aunt Reagan have skin cancer?” He looked at me with trusting eyes, waiting for my answer, and Ian poked me on the back. "Yeah" I mumbled. "Maybe, that's Bill's aunt," Walter explained. I gave Ian a panicked look, and Ian shrugged. "Help me." I mouthed him. He motioned for me to take Walter's prowling hand. Walter's skin was chalk white and translucent, and I could see blood trickling from the blue veins on the back of his hand.I raised his hand cautiously, worried that his long, thin fingers were as fragile as Jamie had said earlier.His hands were so light, as if they were empty inside.

"Well, Grady, it's been hard without you. It's nice here, and you'll love it here even if I'm gone. There's plenty of people to talk to—I know how much you like talking" His volume It got lower and lower, and finally I couldn't hear anything clearly, but his lips were still saying what he wanted to say to his wife.His eyes were closed, his head was tilted to one side, and his mouth kept talking. Ian found a damp cloth and wiped Walter's face, which was shiny. "I don't lie," I said quietly, watching Walter's mouth still muttering, to make sure he couldn't hear me. "I don't want to upset him."

"You don't have to say anything," Ian assured me, "his consciousness is already blurred, so don't worry too much about it." "Do I look like his wife?" "Not at all—I've seen pictures of her. She's short and fat with red hair." "Come on, let me come." Ian gave me the cloth and I wiped the sweat off Walter's neck, it's always nice to have something to do.Walter was still muttering to himself, and I thought I heard him say, "Thanks, Grady, that's great." I didn't notice that the doctor's snoring had stopped.The doctor's familiar voice suddenly sounded from behind me, it was very gentle, so it didn't scare me.

"How is he?" "I'm hallucinating," Ian replied softly. "Is it the effect of the brandy, or is it because of the pain?" "I figured it was more pain-induced, and I traded my right arm for some morphine." "Maybe Jared can work a miracle," Ian suggested. "Maybe." The doctor sighed. I absently wiped the sweat off Walter's face and listened intently, but they didn't mention Jared again. he's not here.Melanie said quietly. Help Walter find hope.I agree. I went alone.she added. I thought about the last time I saw him - that kiss, that certainty that maybe he just needed some time.

I hope he stops thinking you're a top-notch actor or hunter. Of course, that's possible. Melanie sighed secretly. Ian and the doctor chatted in low tones about unimportant things, mainly Eth telling the doctor what had happened in the cave. "What's wrong with Xiao Man's face?" The doctor asked very quietly, but I still heard it. "It's still the same as before." Ian's voice was tense. The doctor made a small noise to show his displeasure, and clicked his tongue again. Ian also told him about the awkward class that night and about Jeffrey's problems.

"It might be easier if the therapist was in Melanie's body," the doctor quipped. I was stunned, but they were behind me and probably didn't notice. "Thankfully it's Xiao Man," Ian defended me softly, "it's not anyone else" "I know," the doctor interrupted, still as good-natured as ever, "I guess I should say it's a bad thing that Man isn't interested in medicine." "I'm sorry." I murmured.I have always taken the health benefits for granted without thinking about why. A hand on my shoulder. "You don't have to apologize," Ian said.

Jamie was very quiet, and I looked around to see him curled up in the cot the doctor had been sleeping on. "It's too late," the doctor reminded, "Walter won't be going anywhere tonight, you should go to sleep for a while." "We'll be back," Ian promised, "so what can we bring you two?" I put Walter's hand down and patted his hand carefully.His eyes popped open and stared at me, more conscious than ever. "Are you going?" he gasped. "Are you going so soon?" I quickly took his hand: "No, I won't leave."

He smiled slightly, closed his eyes again, and tightened my hand with a weak force. Ian sighed. "You go!" I said to him. "I don't mind. Put Jamie to bed." Ian scanned the room. "Wait a minute," he said, and grabbed the nearest cot.The cot wasn't heavy--it didn't take much effort for him to pick it up and drag it beside Walter's.I stretched my arms as far as I could, not wanting to disturb Walter, so Ian could put the cot under it.Ian then picked me up easily and placed me on the cot next to Walter.I gasped softly, and Ian casually placed his hand on my body, which caught me off guard - as if I was human too.

Walter held my hand tightly, and Ian raised his chin towards me: "Do you think you can sleep like this?" "Well, I believe it can." "So, sleep well." He smiled at me, turned and picked Jamie up from the other bed, "Let's go, kid." He said softly, and took Jamie away easily, It was as if he was holding a baby.The sound of Ian's light footsteps gradually faded away, and finally disappeared completely. The doctor yawned, walked behind his desk made of wooden boxes and aluminum doors, and sat down, dim lamp in hand.It was too dark to see Walter's face, which made me a little nervous, as if he had gone.His fingers still gripped me firmly, which gave me some comfort.

The doctor started flipping through the documents at random, and hummed so low that even he couldn't hear it clearly.Accompanied by this soft rustling sound, I gradually fell asleep. In the morning, Walter recognized me. He didn't wake up until Ian came to take me home; the old stalks were to be cut in the cornfield, and I promised the doctor I'd bring breakfast before I went to work.Walter still held my hand tightly, and I carefully pulled my numb fingers out, even though it was the last thing I wanted to do. His eyes opened. "Xiao Man." He called me softly. "Walter?" I don't know how long he's recognized me, or if he remembers last night.His hand was still tightly clenched, but it was empty, so I stretched out my left hand to him, which was still numb. "It's good that you came to see me. I know it must be more difficult for those people to come back. Your face" He seemed to have difficulty speaking, staring, then blank.How could he be like this, what he just said to me was full of worry. "Everything is fine, Walter. How are you feeling?" "Ah," he moaned lowly, "not so doctor?" "Here," replied the doctor softly, standing right behind me. "Is there any more wine?" he asked, panting. "certainly." Doctors are already ready.He brought the neck of a thick glass bottle to Walter's lips and carefully poured the dark brown wine slowly, drop by drop, into his mouth.Walter blinked with each drop of wine down his throat.A few drops of wine dripped from his mouth and onto the pillow, and the smell was pungent. "Is it better?" asked the doctor, after this had been going on for a long time. Walter grunted, not sounding like approval, and closed his eyes. "Any more?" asked the doctor. Walter looked pained, followed by another groan. The doctor cursed under his breath. "Where's Jared?" he asked quietly. I froze at the name.Melanie gets excited, then disappears again. Walter's hands down, head down, down. "Walter?" I whispered to him. "It's too painful for him, it's better not to know anything, just let him go." The doctor said. I felt a choke in my throat: "What can I do?" The doctor's voice was desolate: "I've tried my best, there's nothing more I can do, I'm really useless." "Come on, doctor," I heard Ian murmur, "it's not your fault. The world isn't what it used to be, and no one expects more from you." I arch my shoulders, no, their world won't work the same way again. A hand patted my arm. "Let's go," Ian whispered. I nodded and pulled my hand away again. Walter's eyes opened again, blank. "Gladys? Are you still there?" he asked pleadingly. "Well I'm here." I said, not so sure, his fingers took hold of my hand. Ian shrugged. "I'll get you something to eat," he whispered, and left. I waited anxiously for his return, disturbed by Walter's misidentification.Walter said Gladys' name over and over again, but he didn't seem to need anything from me, which made my heart go away.After a while, about half an hour later, I heard Ian's footsteps in the passage and wondered what had taken him so long. The doctor has been standing by the table, shoulders drooping, eyes blank.It was clear that he felt powerless. Then, I heard other sounds, which were not footsteps. "What's that sound?" I asked the doctor quietly.Walter fell silent again, and perhaps lost consciousness.I don't want to bother him. The doctor turned to look at me, while tilting his head to one side, listening carefully. The sound was very strange, like beating, the rhythm was fast and soft.It was louder when I listened to it, and now it's softer. "It's odd," said the doctor. "It sounds like" He paused, frowning, listening intently, and the strange voice died away. We all pricked up our ears, so we heard the footsteps when they were still far away.The footsteps were not what we expected from Ian, who was running—no, sprinting. The doctor immediately felt that the voice was not right, and he quickly ran out to pick up Ian.I wish I knew what was wrong, too, but I didn't want to pull my hand out again and upset Walter again.So, I tried to listen. "Brant?" I heard the doctor exclaim in surprise. "Where is it? Where is it?" another asked impatiently.The running stopped for only a second, then resumed, but not so fast. "What are you talking about?" asked the doctor, shouting in this direction. "Host!" Brant said anxiously in a hoarse voice as he rushed through the arched entrance. Brant wasn't as big as Kyle and Ian, he was probably only a few inches taller than me, but he was thick and strong, like a rhinoceros.He looked around the room, his sharp eyes resting on my face for half a second, at the unconscious Walter, then rushed into the room and stopped in front of me again. The doctor caught up to Brant, and just as Brant took the first step towards me, the doctor's long fingers pressed tightly on his shoulder. "What are you doing?" the doctor asked him, and it was the closest thing to a growl I've ever heard. Before Brant could answer, the strange sound came back, soft at first, then harsher, then suddenly quieter again, and we all froze.Plus, there was the sound of thumping, the air trembling at its loudest. "Is that a helicopter?" the doctor asked softly. "Yes," Brant whispered back, "it's the hunter—the one from before, who's been looking for him now." He pouted at me. My throat tightened suddenly—even my breathing became weak and shallow, and I felt dizzy from the lack of oxygen. No, don't come to me now, please. What's the matter with her?Mel yells in my head, why can't she just let us be quiet for a while? We can't let her hurt them! But how can we stop her? I have no idea.It's all my fault! Also my fault.Man, it's our fault. "Are you sure?" the doctor asked. "Kyle could clearly see through the binoculars that the helicopter had been circling the same way he'd seen it before." "Has the helicopter seen this?" The doctor's voice suddenly became panicked.He half turned around and glanced at the exit, "Where is Sharon?" Brant shook his head: "This is just an investigation. They started from Pikachu, and then gradually spread out. It seems that they didn't focus on one place. The helicopter circled several times where we abandoned the car." "Where's Sharon?" the doctor asked again. "She's with the kids and Lucina, they're all right. The kids are packing in case we run away at night, but Jeb says that's not possible." The doctor sighed, walked slowly to the desk, leaned listlessly against the desk, looking as if he had just finished a long run. "So, there is no news." He murmured. "No, I'm just going to hide for a few days." Brant reassured him, and his eyes scanned the room again, looking at me every second. "Do you have any rope handy?" he asked.He pulled up the edge of the sheet on the empty bed and looked carefully. "Rope?" The doctor echoed blankly. "Used to catch the host, Kyle sent me here to catch it." My muscles tensed involuntarily, and my hand gripped Walter so tightly that he whimpered softly.I looked at Brant's stern expression and tried to relax my hands.He was waiting for the doctor's answer, looking forward to it. "You came here to catch Xiaoman?" said the doctor, his voice becoming severe again. "Why do you think this is something that must be done?" "Okay, doctor, don't be stupid. You have some big vents here, and a lot of reflective metal." Brant pointed to the filing cabinet against the wall. Flash signal to the hunter." I was surprised and took a deep breath. The room was very quiet, and the sound of my inhalation seemed very loud. "See?" Brant said. "It's a plan right off the bat." I wish I could find a big rock to bury myself in, so I wouldn't look into the hunter's protruding cold eyes, but Brant imagines that I'm going to lure her here, bring her here and kill Jamie, Jared, Jeb, Ian, I feel like I'm choking on something. "Brant, you can go," the doctor's tone was as cold as ice, "I'll watch Xiaoman." Brant raised an eyebrow. "What's wrong with you guys? You, Ian, Trudy, and the others? It's like you're all hypnotized. If there's something wrong with your eyes, I have to know." "Brant, go, go and know what you want to know, but don't be here, get out!" Brandt shook his head: "I have something to do." The doctor walked over to Brant and stood between Brant and me, arms folded over his chest. "You don't touch her." The sound of the helicopter rotor turning sounded in the distance.We were all very quiet and didn't dare to breathe out, waiting until the sound of the helicopter faded away. The room fell silent again, and Brant shook his head.He didn't speak, he just walked to the table and picked up the doctor's chair.He took the chair to the wall of the filing cabinet, slammed it down on the floor, and sat down suddenly, the metal legs of the chair rubbing against the stone surface with a sharp sound.He leaned forward, hands on his knees, and stared at me like a vulture waiting for a dying rabbit to settle down. The doctor clenched his jaw tightly and made a slight gurgling sound. "Gladys," Walter whispered, waking from his deep sleep, "you are here." Under Brant's gaze, I was so nervous that I couldn't say a word, I could only pat his hand lightly.His blurred eyes searched for my face, and the person he saw was not there. "It hurts, Gladys, it hurts." "I know," I whispered, "Doctor?" He was already standing there, still holding brandy: "Open your mouth, Walter." The sound of the helicopter thumping gradually sounded again, far away but close enough.The doctor started, and a few drops of brandy spilled on my arm. This is a terrible day.This is the worst day I have ever been on this planet, including my first day in the cave, including my last day in the desert, dry, hot, if I stayed for a few more hours, I would almost die, but today is Scariest day ever. The helicopter circled back and forth.Sometimes, after more than an hour, I thought it was finally over, and then the sound came back.I pictured the stubborn face of the hunter, his protruding eyes searching the empty desert for signs of humans.I wanted her to go, so I was absorbed in reminiscing about the lifeless, drab plains of the desert, as if I could somehow make sure she couldn't see anything else, as if I could force her to leave. Brant kept staring at me suspiciously, and although I barely looked at him, I felt it.Ian came back with breakfast and lunch, and things were a little better.Ian was dirty from packing in case he had to escape - whatever it was.Do they have somewhere to go?Brant briefly explained why he was here, and Ian's face tightened, looking a lot like Kyle.Then Ian pulled an empty bed next to me so that he sat within Brant's line of sight, just blocking his view. Helicopters, Brant stares suspiciously, these aren't too bad.In a normal mouth—if such a thing had happened—any one of these would have caused me a lot of pain, but today, they are nothing. By noon the doctor had given Walter the last of the brandy.After what seemed like a few minutes, Walter began writhing in pain, moaning and gasping for breath.His fingers bruise my hand, and the skin is scraped, but if I pull my hand away, his whimper turns into a heart-piercing cry.I slipped out to go to the toilet once, and Brant followed me, which made Ian feel like he had to come too.By the time we got back—we were almost trotting—Walter didn't sound like a human being anymore.The doctor's face was blank and pained.I talked to Walter for a while, making him think his wife was there, and he fell silent.It's an easy lie to tell, and it's a white lie.Brant snorted angrily, but I knew he was wrong to be so disturbed.Now nothing matters to me except Walter's pain. Walter continued to moan and writhe in pain.Brant paced across the room, trying to get as far away from the sound as possible. As the sun turned orange, Jamie came to me, bringing enough food for four people.I didn't want him to stay, I asked Ian to take him back to the kitchen for dinner, and I made Ian promise to keep an eye on him all night, lest he sneak back later.When Walter moved, it would pull his broken leg, and he couldn't help crying out, the sound was almost unbearable.Evenings like this are seared into the memory of the doctor and me, and Jamie can't do the same.Although Brant plugged his ears and hummed a discordant tune, trying to forget Walter's presence, he would probably remember this night forever. Instead of distancing himself from Walter's excruciating pain, the Doctor suffers alongside Walter.Each cry of Walter's made deep marks on the doctor's face, like the marks left by a claw on his face. It is strange to see such a strong sense of empathy in human beings, especially in doctors.Seeing him suffer so much for Walter, I can't even look at him anymore.He was so sympathetic to Walter that his heart was bleeding.From what I've seen, the doctor can't be a cruel man, a man who doesn't torture other people.I tried to recall what I had heard to confirm my suspicions - had anyone ever publicly made accusations?I do not think so.I must have been too scared to come to that conclusion. I suspect that after this nightmarish day, I'm distrusting doctors all over again, but I've always found the hospital to be a horrible place. The last gleam of daylight faded and the helicopter was gone.We sat in the dark, afraid to turn on the dim blue lights.It was several hours before we believed the search was over.Brant was the first to realize that he too was fed up with everything in the hospital. "It's time to give up," he whispered, walking slowly toward the exit, "to see nothing at night. Doc, I'll take your lamp so Jeb's beloved host can't do anything, I gone." The doctor didn't answer, and Brant looked somber as he left, and the doctor didn't even look at him. "Make it stop, Gladys, make it stop!" Walter begged me.I wiped the sweat off his face and he almost broke my hand. Time seems to pass very slowly, so slow that it will stop, and the long night has no end.Walter's screams became more frequent and more miserable. Melanie stayed away, knowing there was nothing she could do.If Walter didn't need me, I'd hide too.Just me on my mind - that's what I've always wanted, and now I feel lost. Finally, dim light from the top hole! E slipped in quietly.I was sleepy, but Walter's moans and screams kept me awake.I heard the doctor's snoring behind me, and I was glad he was able to get away for a while. I didn't hear Jared come in, I was talking to Walter in a low voice, incoherently, just trying to comfort him. "I'm here, I'm here," he called his wife's name, and I whispered back to him, "Shh, it's all right." None of these words meant much, but they were just words, as if my voice could make him The screams subsided a little. I don't know how long he'd been looking at me and Walter before I realized Jared had come in, it must have been a while.I believe his first reaction was anger, but when I heard him speak, his voice was calm. "Doctor," he said, I heard the crib shaking behind me, "Doctor, wake up." I jerked my hand away, turned around, and stared blankly at the face, it was Jared's voice, yes. He looked at me while shaking the sleeping doctor's shoulders. Under the dim light, he couldn't read the content in his eyes, and there was no expression on his face. Melanie suddenly became conscious. She carefully studied Jared's face, trying to read his inner thoughts through the mask. "Grady! Don't go! Don't!" Hearing Walter yell, the doctor jumped up and almost turned the bed over. I turned to Walter and put my aching hand again between his prowling fingers. "Hush! Shh! Here I am, Walter. I won't go, no, I promise." He fell silent, sobbing like a child.I wiped his forehead with a damp cloth, and his sobbing stopped immediately and became a sigh. "How's Sui doing?" Jared asked in a low voice behind me. "She's the best painkiller I could find," said the doctor wearily. "Well, I found you something better than a tame hunter." My stomach twisted into a ball, and Melanie moaned in my head.How stupid.Extremely stubborn!She roared, "Even if you tell him that the sun sets in the west, he won't believe you!" However, the doctor didn't care about Jared's contempt for me: "You found something!" "Morphine--not much. I could have come back sooner if the hunters hadn't been scouting my position outside the cave." The doctor started to act immediately, and I heard him flicking through the documents in Sesai, and he laughed happily: "Jered, you are really a god!" "Doctor, wait a minute" However, the doctor had already stood beside me, his haggard face full of expectation.He was busy loading the syringe, and he stuck the thin needle into Walter's elbow, his hand still holding me.I turned my face away, as if getting anything into Walter's skin was a horrible violation. However, the result is beyond doubt.In less than half a minute, Walter's whole body relaxed, and he slumped on the thin mat.His breathing also changed from violent and rapid to soft and calm, and his hand also relaxed, and he let go of mine. I massaged my left hand with my right hand, trying to get the blood back to the fingertips.When the blood flow is smooth, the fingertips feel like being pricked by needles. "Uh, doctor, if that's the case, there really aren't that many." Jared said in a low voice. Walter's expression finally calmed down, I looked up, Jared's back was to me, but I saw the doctor's surprised expression. "Enough for what? I'm not going to save the morphine for later, Jared. I'm sure we'd all like some more morphine, and we'll have it soon, but I can help Walter when , I will not let him howl in pain again." "That's not what I meant," Jared said.The tone of his speech showed that he had thought about it for a long time and had already made a decision.He spoke as slowly and calmly as Walter breathed. The doctor frowned, puzzled. "That's enough for about three or four days of pain, that's all," Jared said, "if you give him a few shots." I don't understand what Jared means, but the doctor does. "Ah." He sighed.He turned to look at Walter again.Tears came out.He opened his mouth to speak, but nothing came out. I wonder what they are talking about.However, Jared came back and thought I no longer needed to keep silent.I saw the welling up in his eyes and I still didn't ask, I originally said "You can't save him, doctor, you can only help him relieve the pain." "I know," said the doctor, his voice choking, as if he were trying to keep from crying, "you're right." what happened?I asked.As long as Melanie is around, I'll use her. They're going to kill Walter, she told me matter-of-factly, there's enough morphine to kill him with a single shot. The room was quiet, and my gasps seemed loud, but it was really just breathing.Instead of looking up to see how the two healthy men reacted, I leaned back on Walter's pillow with tears in my eyes. No.I thought, no.Don't do this, don't. Would you rather he screamed like hell? I just can't stand this result.It's so absolute, I'll never see my friend again. How many of your other friends come to see you, Man? I've never had a friend like this before. My friends on other planets are just a blur in my mind, with similar souls, interchangeable in some respects.Walter is Walter.He is gone and no one can replace him. I gently held Walter's head in my arms, tears streaming down his body.I tried not to cry, but instead I cried even harder. I was crying so hard that it was no longer a sob. I know, another first.Melanie whispered, sympathy in her tone.Sympathize with me - this is also the first time. "Xiaoman?" the doctor asked. I just shook my head, not wanting to answer. "I think you've been here too long," he said, and I felt his warm hand lightly on my shoulder. "Go and rest for a while." I shook my head again, still crying softly. "You're exhausted physically and mentally," he said. "Go wash up, stretch your legs, and eat something." I looked up and stared at him. "Was Walter still here when I got back?" I asked, crying. His eyes were anxious and nervous: "What do you want?" "I want to have the chance to say goodbye to him, he's a friend of mine." He patted my hand. "I know, Man, I know. Me too, I'm not in a hurry. You go get some air and come back, Walter's going to sleep a little longer." I looked at his tired face, and I believed in the sincerity on his face. I nodded and carefully put Walter's head back on the pillow.Maybe if I go out for a while, I'll be able to think of a way to fix this.I didn't know what to do - I never really said goodbye to anyone. Because I love him, I look at Jared, however reluctantly, before leaving.Mel wanted the same, but she wanted me to be there when she looked at him. He is looking at me, I feel like he has been looking at me for a long time.The expression on his face is very calm, but there is still doubt and surprise.I'm tired, and even if I'm a genius liar, what's the point of me putting on airs now?Walter will never stand by me again.I can no longer lie to him. Jared and I looked at each other for a long second, then turned and walked briskly down the dark hallway, which was brighter than his expression.