Chapter eleven The Coma, the Amnesiac, and the End

I was aware of being awake long before I actually opened my eyes. I was in my own bed. Was all of that a dream? Cath, Indrid, my getting shot? All just a dream…?
I looked down at my stomach. Okay, maybe it wasn't a dream. My stomach was bandaged, and there were dried blood stains on the bandages.
Indrid walked into the room, drinking a glass of water.
"I see you are finally awake," Said he.

I nodded. "'Finally?' How long have I…?"

"About two months," Indrid answered.

"Two months?!" I put a hand to my face, and Indrid was proven truthful—my face had grown a beard since last I was awake.

"Indeed," Indrid took a sip of water, "The gunshot damaged the parasite. It panicked and escaped from your body," He took another sip, "We had to completely replace your intestines. There were complications. You fell into a coma."

"So the parasite's gone?" I asked, poking at my stomach.

"That is not the point. You almost died."

"But it's gone."

He rolled his eyes. "YES. It is gone."

"That's great!" My joy quickly went away, though, when I remembered things more important. "What about Cathal? Is he…"

Indrid, as he usually did, didn't answer me right away. "Go get cleaned up. We are going out."

"But…"

"Just do as I say."

I sighed, but did as he asked me. A quick shower, shave, and tooth-brushing later, we were out the door and getting into my car. He told me which direction to go, usually blurting out where to turn so late that I would miss the turn altogether and have to turn around. Apparently MiB weren't used to our inefficient cars; cars can't turn as abruptly as a UFO can.
Eventually, we reached a hospital. I parked the car and asked Indrid what we were doing there, but he, as usual, ignored my question and proceeded to get out of the car.
I followed him into the building and he led me up a few flights of stairs and down the hall, knowing exactly where he was going. He stopped at a door. He looked back, glancing at me. I couldn't make out the emotion on his face. I mean, yeah, there usually isn't any emotion there, but I just had this feeling like there should have been something there at that moment. In any case, he turned back to the door and opened it, stepping aside so that I could see in. I looked, and my eyes fell upon the patient sitting upright in a bed, staring blankly at a television screen.
"Is that… Cathal?" I asked quietly.

Indrid nodded.

I smiled. "You didn't kill him. Indrid-"

He frowned. "Do not thank me. It was an accident. He used his powers to fight the neutralization."

I frowned too, not bothering to ask about Cath's 'powers'—I remembered Indrid's conversation with Xeno, and I was able to put two and two together. "… Oh." I looked at Cath again. Something didn't seem right. "What's wrong with him?"

"He survived a fatal dose of neutralization," Indrid told me, as if the implications of this ought to be obvious, "Of course his brain sustained damage."

"What kind of damage?"

"Complete amnesia," Indrid answered, "As well as some mobility problems, though he will probably recover from that soon."

"Will his memory come back too?"

"No. And you should be glad for that; his superiors will likely not bother to take him back into their organization now that he has forgotten all of his training," Indrid looked at Cathal thoughtfully, "His powers are still as strong as ever, though he is unaware of them now. Since he is no longer a threat to us, perhaps we may be able to make use of him."

I started to walk into the room to talk to Cath, but Indrid stopped me.
"Do not bother," Said he, "His mind is still too disheveled to be able to comprehend your presence. You will only confuse him. It will take another few months before he is anything close to normal."

"… Oh," I walked back out of the room.

Indrid closed the door, and was silent for a moment. "… I thank you for your cooperation, Tavarius. I understand how difficult it was to bring harm upon your friend, but you must understand; if he had gone unkempt, Earth's future would have been compromised."

"I understand," I smiled a little, "I'm just really glad he's not dead."

"I cannot say I agree, but I suppose this will do," He shrugged, "In any case, I must be going now."

"Okay," I nodded.

"Just so that you are aware, I will be keeping an eye on your friend from now on," He started walking away, "I will see you in time."

He turned a corner, and I could no longer hear his footsteps.
I didn't have to look; I knew he was long gone.
I stood there for a moment, then opened the door and walked in.
I walked to his bed and looked down at him. It took him a few minutes to notice me there, and he looked up at me blankly.

I sighed.
"… I'm sorry. This was for the best."

He didn't say anything; he just looked up at me confusedly.

I said not a word more before turning around and leaving the room, and Cathal, behind.

It was a long while before he was released from the hospital, and after that he was never the same again. For the most part he became the same old Cath (of course, minus the government ties), but sometimes… he'd just stare into space, this sad look in his eyes.
I can't help but feel responsible for his despondency. After all, I took his memories from him, and he never quite got over it.

But like I said… this is for the best.
Even if Cathal will never quite understand that.

The end.