Chapter 6: Signs(2)

It was a while after the little commotion inside Jake's hospital room. Gloria was silently observing the doctor that was checking up the unconscious Jake. After the Doctor finished checking up Jake, he faces Gloria that was just beside him. The Doctor gave out a cheerful smile to Gloria, seeing the smile, Gloria unconsciously smiled and knew it was a piece of good news.

"His vitals are improving at a rapid rate, right now. He might wake up soon but please notify us if it happened. Also, don't put much burden on the patient," the doctor emphasized the caution on Jake's condition.

Gloria just slightly nodded. By then, the doctor withdrew to the room. She looked to Rachel that was seating on the couch while using her mobile phone. She walked forward and sat right beside her.

"I'm sorry for the sudden impulse a while ago. You know how much we loved Jake as my own grandson," Gloria confessed.

"It's fine. I might also do that if I were in your shoes," Rachel sympathized.

While the two were talking, Jake had forced his eyes open after a few tries. He just stared at the ceiling without saying and moving. He was still digesting what Suffering and Beginning told him during his trip on the two guys. He didn't know how he could bear the responsibility that Suffering gave him. He was even confused about Beginning's action and rumblings. He knew that the guy knew him after knowing the pseudonym of Suffering. He knows there was a deeper story between the two, he can only unravel them when he met the two again.

Gloria stood after they finished reading the reports. She took a cup and made herself a coffee. She almost dropped her cup seeing Jake was awake and blankly staring at the ceiling. She calmed herself and placed the cup on the nearest table she could find.

"Rachel, call the doctor. Jake was already awake," Gloria commanded Rachel.

Without wasting a second, Rachel exited the room to call for a doctor. Gloria sat on Jake's bed and took Jake's attention to her. Seeing that her grandson was looking at her. She knew that Jake was really conscious.

"Can you speak?" she asked.

"Yes," Jake spoke in a forceful voice.

Jake was even surprised that he can even talk right now. He also felt that the control of his body was already returning to him.

"Don't do that again. Don't you know how anguish we are after knowing you were involved again in an accident? Do you know how much terrorize you sister, seeing you involved in an accident under her watch," Gloria scolded her grandson while forgetting the doctor's warning.

It may seem to be normal for the two in the current situation that she was scolding her grandson that was just wake up from his coma. It was probably because of the past experience of the two. After scolding him, Gloria realized that he should be at least considerate to him in saving a life.

"What did you see," she asked knowing what probably happened the time Jake saved the child.

"I saw the child will be hit repeatedly by a vehicle. I tried to look out for that vehicle but it only appeared at the time the child cross the street with us," Jake answered without concealing anything from her grandmother.

It was after the two finished their chat, Rachel was accompanied by the doctor entering the room. Gloria left the bed and gave way to the doctor to examine Jake. It took almost half an hour when the doctor finished his examination to Jake. It was also the time that Edward entered the room, in his shock that Jake was already seating at the bed and munching a sliced apple.

"Mother, am I still dreaming? Jake was already awake?" Edward confusingly inquired her mother.

Seeing the silly expression of his son, Gloria chuckled.

"Of course, you're not dreaming! Do you want me to pinch you?" Gloria gleefully responded.

"Is that really that you Jake? I doubt that you're still human because of your recovery," Edward joked.

Hearing her son's joke, Gloria remembered the conversation between her and the doctor a little while ago. The doctor asked if there was a non-human ancestor in Jake's ancestry because of the unbelievable recovery speed. She cleared that there was no supernatural ancestor in Jake's linage. His ancestors can only be pure human as far as she was concerned. After hearing that the doctor could only acknowledge it.

"Mother, do you heard that a Cardinal will be celebrating a Mass for the Jubilee of a Parish that he serve when he was still a priest," Edward articulated.

Jake was munching an apple when his vision went dark. The time that his vision was gone back. He saw a priest and a nun based on the cassock and habit that the two wearings respectively. The two seemed to be preparing a snack. The nun was done stirring the cup, the priest took something from the pocket of his cassock. He put the vial in front of the nun. The nun seemed not to be in shock.

"Are we doing the right thing?" the nun asked the priest.

"Yes," the priest shortly answered and opened the cap of the vial.

The priest only put a drop to the cup and smiled at the nun.

"For the future," he said.

The nun didn't respond but only stared at him. Jake's vision blurred, and he found an old man that was sitting dilapidated bed and rundown jail, there wasn't even a clear source of light. Even the rails were too rusty. The old man was wearing a scarlet cassock. He was holding a rosary while reciting its mysteries. A man outside the jail interrupted him.

"Your big guy on Rome was dying. Surely enough, the inevitable connection between the Church and the Office will be cut off. Leaving the Office to weaken and destroy," the man teased.

The old man seemed to be fazed from the agitation of the man.

"Your sacred sanctuary was breached and your people will be washed out from the history," the man taunted before leaving the old man's food.

"The blood of the martyrs is the seed of the Church. Maybe you can corrupt the princes of the Church but it was promised that it will remain until the end of time," the old man retorted.

The man just chuckled and left. Jake sees a silhouette of something behind the old man but he couldn't see it clearly. Jake's vision blurred and his vision returned. He immediately took a bite at the apple he was holding. He noticed that his uncle was still loudly chatting with her grandmother. He tried to focused on what he was saying.

"There are rumors that the Holy Father was retiring," Edward recounted the rumor that he had heard.

"Are you serious?" Gloria asked intently while her expression turned sharp.

Edward nodded without a second thought.

"Where did you get the rumors?" she asked.

"My buddies residing near the Vatican City," Edward answered.

Without a doubt, Gloria had known something was wrong and she needs to quell it before it creates a dramatic backslash to the Office and the Church. She took her mobile phone and dialed the number of her Lieutenant. She walked out of the room while conversing with the Lieutenant. She was also the main point of Jake's gaze after she took her mobile phone until she exited.

After she returned to the room, her eyes were looking at Jake. Jake knew what that eye means, he just silently nods to Gloria. Gloria sat at Jake's bed.

"You froze a moment ago. What do you see?" She asked in a low voice intending not to let the other two hear what they will be talking about.

Jake knew that he shouldn't what he saw a moment ago to Gloria or else things will absurdly turn for worse. He could only let her knew what was Suffering taught him.

"There will be a war and I will be the flag bearer. I will be preparing the people that will be involved in the upcoming war," Jake spoke in a low voice.

Gloria nodded and knew what she should do.

"I don't think that I can help you beyond this point. You MUST do it by yourself. It was the task that you took and you must bear its responsibility. It can only support your back," Gloria resigned but emphasized the responsibility that Jake should bear.

Jake could only smile unwillingly. He knew that after taking the task there was a long road ahead of him. Gloria could only tap his shoulders. The people of the room shook at the sudden and forceful opening of the door. After they collected themselves, they knew who opened the door. It was Jessa. Without thinking of Jake's current state, she hugged him too violently. She didn't even notice her grandma. If it wasn't for Gloria who was at the side of the two, Jake might lose his consciousness due to the tightness of the hug. She immediately separated the two and looked intimidatingly at Jessa.

"Jessa didn't I said that you must calm yourself before going here in case that Jake awakens?" Gloria scolded Jessa.

Jessa can only nod in approval because she knew that her actions were too much for Jake's current condition.

"Good news! You might get out of the hospital after two days," Rachel interrupted while holding Jake's hospital records.

"By the way, you seemed to be wearing something too formal? Is there anything with the Zone?" Rachel asked after noticing that Jessa was wearing her military uniform used by the Office.

"Yes, I almost forgot about that. The Director especially called for your Uncle as the Team Leader of the Strategic Team for an Emergency Meeting. I had forgotten about that after hearing from the nurse that Jake was awake," Jessa explained after calming herself for real.

"Edward, don't you hear it? Go!" Gloria commanded and looked to her granddaughter.

"You can still visit your brother later. It's not like I will take him somewhere," Gloria scolded after seeing the hesitation of Jessa.

In the end, Jessa and Edward consecutively walked out of the room after Gloria's endless nagging. In Jake's curiosity, he asked about what could be the agenda of the emergency meeting.

"Since you were almost in a coma in almost a month, it might be about the terror attacks in the places under the management of the World Leaders that happened last week. The Ancient Terrorist, the cockroaches." Rachel annoying answered and sat on the sofa then looked at the magazines.

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