Categories > Cartoons > Delilah and Julius > Those Nights We Say Goodbye
>> Halifax, Nova Scotia
>> St. Anne's Hospital
>> 12:03
Head throbbing, Julius felt himself come awake. He squeezed his eyes closed tighter, trying to stop the pounding in his skull. Letting out a low groan, he heard someone stir nearby.
"Well, Mr. Chevalier, we were wondering when you'd be joining us."
His eyes slowly eased open at the unfamiliar voice. "Wha...?"
A hospital room ... he was in a hospital room. The sickly pallid sheets and the faint sound of beeping made him queasy. Standing in front of him was a tall, female doctor dressed in the usual attire. She looked to be of Thai ancestry. Her name confirmed this.
"My name is Kanya Mahidol. I believe your visitor just left." She smiled sweetly. "If I hurry, I'm sure I can catch him before he leaves. I'll be back shortly."
Dr. Mahidol hurried out of the room, but still managed to move gracefully. When she was out of sight, Julius pushed himself into a sitting position. What is going on? His head was swimming with questions, more now after his brief encounter with Kanya Mahidol. He was in a hospital. Why? The car crash! It came back to him in a flash. Vaguely, he could recall a black SUV slamming into the side of the truck he and Delilah were in.
Where was Delilah? Was she okay? What had happened to her? The doctor had said he'd just missed a visitor, but she referred to the guest as a man. It could be Al, Emmet or Nosey. What had happened to Delilah? The SUV had hit his side, but that didn't mean ...
"Julius!"
Her scream cut through his memory, making him cringe. She had to be fine. If anything terrible had happened ... he didn't know how he'd live with himself.
Another question popped up: how long had he been here? Surely no more than a few days. The doctor said that they'd been expecting him to wake up. It had probably just been a few hours. A car crash couldn't knock him out for that long.
"Julius?"
His head shot up, a smile creeping across his face. "Nosey! Good to see you, man."
As Nosey stepped forward into his room, Julius noticed there was something different about his friend. Sure, he had the same mop of curly brown hair on his head, the same goofy look on his features ... but there was something different.
Nosey was ecstatic. "Aw man! Every time I always hoped ... I mean, I never thought that ... Oh, man!"
"Nose man," Julius laughed nervously. "What are you so excited about?"
The joy faded from Nosey's face. "You mean ... they haven't told you?"
"Told me?" Now he was getting worried. "Told me what?" Panic surged up. "Does this have something to do with Delilah?"
"Delilah? No, Dee's fine." Nosey sat down on the corner of his bed. "Listen ... there's no easy way to tell you this ..."
"Tell me what? What's going on?"
His friend sighed. "You've been in a coma, Julius."
Julius laughed. "That's it? That's all? That's the 'big news'? You had me worried. Wow, I've been in a coma. For what, a week?"
"For six years."
The chuckle died in his throat. "What?"
Nosey stood up again. "You've been in a coma for six years, Julius."
"If this is some kind of sick joke, stop it." Julius felt the colour drain from his face. "You're just playing me, right? Six years, I mean that's impossible. No, no, it's not true!"
"Look at me, Julius!" Nosey sounded desperate. "Do I look the same as I did when I was eighteen? I'm twenty-four years old now. You just had your twenty-fifth birthday a few weeks ago."
Julius sunk into the pillows on his bed. "No ... That's not possible. What's happened to the Academy?"
"Al retired last month." A grin lit up Nosey's features. "The GIB gave him a big pension and now he's living on his own private island ... with Scarlet."
Al ... retired. "Who's running the Academy?"
"One of Al's protégées, Alex Denton. Global crime rate has dropped 6% since Al left, as the GIB so kindly advertises every month. Oh, by the way, I'm married."
Julius' jaw dropped. "What?"
Nosey beamed. "One year ago next week. Zoe proposed, but I was ready to, I swear!"
"Zoe? Zoe Ling, from Llewellyn House? You're married to her?"
"Yep, and Emmet thinks he's met 'the one'. Her name's Sophia Cox."
This was all so much to take in. "You're married to Zoe, Al's retired, and Emmet is dating. What happened to Delilah?"
Nosey grimaced. "Ah. Um, about that. She waited, Julius, she really did. But ... you can't wait forever, you know? We all thought you weren't going to come out of the coma. I mean, I was really shocked today."
Julius frowned. "Nosey, what happened to Delilah?"
Nosey heaved a sigh. "She's engaged, Julius. The wedding's in two weeks."
>> St. Anne's Hospital
>> 12:03
Head throbbing, Julius felt himself come awake. He squeezed his eyes closed tighter, trying to stop the pounding in his skull. Letting out a low groan, he heard someone stir nearby.
"Well, Mr. Chevalier, we were wondering when you'd be joining us."
His eyes slowly eased open at the unfamiliar voice. "Wha...?"
A hospital room ... he was in a hospital room. The sickly pallid sheets and the faint sound of beeping made him queasy. Standing in front of him was a tall, female doctor dressed in the usual attire. She looked to be of Thai ancestry. Her name confirmed this.
"My name is Kanya Mahidol. I believe your visitor just left." She smiled sweetly. "If I hurry, I'm sure I can catch him before he leaves. I'll be back shortly."
Dr. Mahidol hurried out of the room, but still managed to move gracefully. When she was out of sight, Julius pushed himself into a sitting position. What is going on? His head was swimming with questions, more now after his brief encounter with Kanya Mahidol. He was in a hospital. Why? The car crash! It came back to him in a flash. Vaguely, he could recall a black SUV slamming into the side of the truck he and Delilah were in.
Where was Delilah? Was she okay? What had happened to her? The doctor had said he'd just missed a visitor, but she referred to the guest as a man. It could be Al, Emmet or Nosey. What had happened to Delilah? The SUV had hit his side, but that didn't mean ...
"Julius!"
Her scream cut through his memory, making him cringe. She had to be fine. If anything terrible had happened ... he didn't know how he'd live with himself.
Another question popped up: how long had he been here? Surely no more than a few days. The doctor said that they'd been expecting him to wake up. It had probably just been a few hours. A car crash couldn't knock him out for that long.
"Julius?"
His head shot up, a smile creeping across his face. "Nosey! Good to see you, man."
As Nosey stepped forward into his room, Julius noticed there was something different about his friend. Sure, he had the same mop of curly brown hair on his head, the same goofy look on his features ... but there was something different.
Nosey was ecstatic. "Aw man! Every time I always hoped ... I mean, I never thought that ... Oh, man!"
"Nose man," Julius laughed nervously. "What are you so excited about?"
The joy faded from Nosey's face. "You mean ... they haven't told you?"
"Told me?" Now he was getting worried. "Told me what?" Panic surged up. "Does this have something to do with Delilah?"
"Delilah? No, Dee's fine." Nosey sat down on the corner of his bed. "Listen ... there's no easy way to tell you this ..."
"Tell me what? What's going on?"
His friend sighed. "You've been in a coma, Julius."
Julius laughed. "That's it? That's all? That's the 'big news'? You had me worried. Wow, I've been in a coma. For what, a week?"
"For six years."
The chuckle died in his throat. "What?"
Nosey stood up again. "You've been in a coma for six years, Julius."
"If this is some kind of sick joke, stop it." Julius felt the colour drain from his face. "You're just playing me, right? Six years, I mean that's impossible. No, no, it's not true!"
"Look at me, Julius!" Nosey sounded desperate. "Do I look the same as I did when I was eighteen? I'm twenty-four years old now. You just had your twenty-fifth birthday a few weeks ago."
Julius sunk into the pillows on his bed. "No ... That's not possible. What's happened to the Academy?"
"Al retired last month." A grin lit up Nosey's features. "The GIB gave him a big pension and now he's living on his own private island ... with Scarlet."
Al ... retired. "Who's running the Academy?"
"One of Al's protégées, Alex Denton. Global crime rate has dropped 6% since Al left, as the GIB so kindly advertises every month. Oh, by the way, I'm married."
Julius' jaw dropped. "What?"
Nosey beamed. "One year ago next week. Zoe proposed, but I was ready to, I swear!"
"Zoe? Zoe Ling, from Llewellyn House? You're married to her?"
"Yep, and Emmet thinks he's met 'the one'. Her name's Sophia Cox."
This was all so much to take in. "You're married to Zoe, Al's retired, and Emmet is dating. What happened to Delilah?"
Nosey grimaced. "Ah. Um, about that. She waited, Julius, she really did. But ... you can't wait forever, you know? We all thought you weren't going to come out of the coma. I mean, I was really shocked today."
Julius frowned. "Nosey, what happened to Delilah?"
Nosey heaved a sigh. "She's engaged, Julius. The wedding's in two weeks."
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