Dozing off in a hard plastic chair in the hospital corridor, Locke's cowboy hat tilted over his face. His dirt-stained work pants looked completely out of place in the pristine white hallway.
After keeping vigil for a full 24 hours, he was utterly exhausted.
Even the soft chatter at the nurses' station nearby drifted into his ears like a hazy lullaby.
"That's the farmer from the cornfield."
"I heard he rushed into the meteor crash site alone."
"My God, are those bloodstains on his pants?"
Their whispers floated into Locke's ears like feathers.
He wanted to raise his hand and adjust the brim of his hat, but his arm felt heavy as if filled with lead.
Through the haze of fatigue, he heard the sharp sound of high heels clicking closer on the floor.
"Shh! Keep your voices down!"
An older nurse lowered her voice. "Didn't you hear? That blond boy's blood test results…"
Locke frowned under the brim of his hat.
He ought to wake up—ought to warn them not to gossip about Dio's medical reports…
But the days of exhaustion flooded back like a tide, pulling his consciousness under once more.
Until—
Cough, cough!
A deliberate cough jolted Locke out of his half-dream.
He sat bolt upright, his cowboy hat clattering to the floor, revealing bloodshot eyes and messy brown curls.
Standing before him was the attending doctor, medical chart in hand, with two embarrassed-looking nurses behind him.
"Mr. Kent, your son is awake," the doctor announced deliberately, raising his voice and glancing meaningfully toward the ward. "Though he seems a bit unsettled—"
"Hey!"
From inside the room, Locke's sharp hearing picked up Dio's weak but still arrogant voice:
"Where is this?! Who the hell are you? Bastards, let me go!"
That familiar outburst made Locke's taut nerves finally loosen.
He nodded gratefully to the doctor, then rushed into the ward in three long strides.
There he saw Dio struggling to yank out his IV line while a nurse flusteredly tried to stop him.
"You brat!"
Locke slammed a hand down on his son's shoulder, his voice trembling, "Can't you sit still for once?!"
"You scared the hell out of me, old man! Where were you? Waking up here nearly gave me—" Dio's rant cut off as he looked up and saw his father's reddened eyes. His bluster immediately deflated by half. Turning his head awkwardly, he muttered, "Fine, I'll stay still."
Thump-thump-thump—
Footsteps pounded at the doorway. Martha stumbled in, nearly falling.
"Locke, the nurse said… said Dio's awake."
"Oh my God—Dio!"
Her usually neat chestnut bun now hung loose around her shoulders, eyes still red from tears. The worn-out farmwife flung herself at the blond boy, squeezing him so tightly it felt like she might crush him into his bones.
Frozen stiff, Dio's ruby-red eyes widened in alarm.
"Let—let me go! Auntie!"
He struggled in vain, surprised at how much strength this usually gentle woman suddenly had.
Just as he was about to call on his father for rescue, a warm drop of liquid fell on his cheek.
Dio froze. Looking up, he saw Martha's reddened eyes and trembling lips—
And at the foot of the bed stood Clark and Jonathan.
The former's blue eyes shimmered with tears, the latter let out a long, relieved breath.
But what shook Dio most of all was Locke—
The man who was always as strong as a mountain, who never showed exhaustion—
Now leaning wearily against the wall.
"…Does it have to be this sappy?" Dio muttered awkwardly. But he stopped struggling, letting Martha hold him tight.
He even stiffly patted her back. "See? I'm fine, aren't I…"
Martha's muffled voice trembled.
"You silly child… do you know how worried we've been?"
"Dio." Clark edged closer and whispered, "Mom even fainted yesterday…"
"Clark!"
Jonathan hurried to cut him off, but it was too late.
Dio's body stiffened.
He stared at the faint gray strands at Martha's temples in disbelief—
Those definitely hadn't been there yesterday.
A strange feeling welled up in his chest, like something was caught in his throat.
So it's me…
"Auntie." He awkwardly poked Martha's shoulder. "Y-your hair…"
Martha finally lifted her head, dabbing at her tears with a handkerchief and forcing a smile.
"It's nothing, just a few white hairs. Compared to that…"
Her voice caught again. "Seeing you safe matters more than anything."
The ward suddenly fell silent.
Dio lowered his head, golden bangs falling forward to hide his expression.
After a long pause, a muffled voice finally escaped his lips:
"…Sorry. Maybe I shouldn't have tried to save that man?"
The words were so soft, like feathers touching the floor, yet they froze everyone in the room.
Martha even shot to her feet in shock.
For Dio Kent to apologize—
That was harder than the sun rising in the west.
And then, Locke strode forward and pulled Dio tightly into his arms.
"Sorry, Dio. It was me—your father—who was wrong."
"?!"
This time it was Dio's turn to be stunned.
His dad… apologizing to him?!
But before he could process the reason—
"Dio!"
Clark cried out and dove into the hug, followed by Jonathan and Martha.
The five of them ended up tangled together in one giant embrace by the hospital bed.
"Okay, okay!" Dio's muffled voice came from the pile, flustered.
"You're going to split my stitches!"
Everyone panicked and let go—only to see his wound completely fine, while his cheeks burned as red as a ripe apple.
He puffed up his cheeks, fussing with his hospital gown and grumbling nonstop:
"This is ridiculous! I'm not a three-year-old!"
Martha, now smiling through her tears, reached out to ruffle his golden hair.
"In our eyes, you'll always be a child we need to take care of."
Dio was just about to retort when—
Knock, knock.
The door opened, and the attending physician stood there holding a report.
"Mr. Kent, regarding your son's blood test results…"
Subtly moving to block Dio from view, Locke asked calmly,
"Is there a problem, doctor?"
The doctor adjusted his glasses, confusion plain on his face.
"The problem is… there is no problem. In fact—" he flipped through the report, "not only are all his readings perfectly normal, they're healthier than the average person's. This is… well…"
"A medical miracle?" Jonathan chimed in, smiling with his usual farmer's warmth.
The doctor nodded. "Exactly. Considering the possible radiation exposure from the meteor, this outcome is truly…"
"Thank the Lord!" Martha suddenly cried, clasping her hands in prayer.
"This must be God's miracle!"
"Yeah, doctor," Clark hurried to add, "Dio's always had amazing recovery since he was a kid!"
"All right, all right, but please don't overexcite the patient," the doctor sighed.
Amid their chatter, the physician finally left the ward with more questions than answers.
The moment the door clicked shut, the four left behind exhaled in unison.
Clearly, though Martha and Jonathan usually acted as if nothing was out of the ordinary, they too had their suspicions.
After all—
What kind of boy could sit in the living room and somehow pluck a blueberry pie straight out of the oven to eat?
"You guys…" Dio leaned back against the pillows, chuckling softly.
"Your acting is terrible."
"Shut it, you little brat." Locke ruffled his son's golden hair, his eyes full of affection.
"We've worried ourselves sick for you."