Rest and Reflection

Kenjo paced nervously up and down the hospital corridor, his anxiety at its peak. Other inmates stood outside the prison hospital, all intrigued and eager to hear about Jamie's and Shika's condition. Suddenly, the door to the hospital room swung open, and a prison nurse stepped out.

"Listen, all inmates," the nurse announced. "Jamie is in a lot of pain, so those who want to visit may do so, but only for a maximum of five minutes."

The inmates rushed inside, eager to get a glimpse of Jamie, the so-called "prison hero." Some noticed that Shika was nowhere to be seen. Quietly, two inmates pulled the nurse aside, their curiosity piqued.

"Hey, sorry, where's… uh, Shika? Wasn't he supposed to be here too?"

The nurse hesitated, clearly uncomfortable with the question. She shifted uncomfortably, trying to avoid giving a direct answer. "Well… err, Shika has been moved to another facility, by request. That's all I can say. His condition should be stable, I think," she added, shrugging.

The inmates exchanged surprised glances, confused but accepting her response. "Right, thank you for the honesty," one of them muttered.

Kenjo overheard the exchange but didn't let it bother him. He walked into Jamie's room to check on him. Jamie, bruised and still unconscious, lay on the hospital bed.

Kenjo leaned over. "Hey, Jamie—"

Before he could finish, an angry nurse quickly cut him off. "You shouldn't try to wake him!"

Jamie slowly opened his eyes, blinking as he adjusted to the overwhelming sight. Twenty inmates crowded into the small room, and many more were waiting outside for updates. Jamie's gaze found Kenjo, and a smile crept onto his bruised face.

"Hey, Kenjo... who are all these people?" Jamie asked weakly.

One of the inmates shouted, "WE'RE YOUR FANS, JAMIE!"

The nurse immediately smacked the inmate on the head. "Quiet down!" she snapped, before turning back to Jamie, who looked at the inmates, relieved that he was awake and stable.

Jamie whispered to Kenjo, "Hey, Kenjo, what happened with Shika?"

Kenjo, having overheard some of the other inmates talking, replied, "He got transferred... by request."

Jamie smirked, his eyes glinting with mischief. "Serves that asshole right. I'll haunt his dreams forever now."

Kenjo smiled and lightly hugged Jamie. "I'm glad you're alive. Trust me, so are most of the inmates. You did something that everyone here can respect. You're now the hero of this prison."

Jamie looked down, his voice barely above a whisper. "Thank you, I guess. I couldn't have done it without you, Kenjo, though..."

Suddenly, a sharp pain shot through Jamie's body. He screamed in agony, "ARGHHH!" The prior hits from the fight seemed to be resurfacing all at once, and the pain was unbearable. His fists clenched as he tried to calm himself, but it was too much.

The nurses rushed to his side, administering pain medication and liquids to help him. Kenjo quickly ushered the other inmates out of the room.

One inmate shouted, "Jamie, get well quick! Teach us some moves!"

The others chimed in, "HELL YEAH!"

Jamie grinned despite the pain. "Sure, I'll do that!"

Soon, Jamie was given a heavy dose of pain meds, and he drifted off to sleep. As the room quieted, the warden arrived, walking over to Kenjo.

"Kenjo," the warden said, his voice low and serious. "This is a serious matter. In most cases, I would report this immediately, but… well, it's had a good impact on the other inmates. I'll let it pass this time. But there won't be a next time. I'm trusting you to keep control of Jamie.

Kenjo nodded, but the warden wasn't finished. "As for Shika's absence, I'm glad he's out of the picture. It's a relief. Congratulations on that."

Jamie stirred slightly, his voice dripping with arrogance. "Aye, aye, Cap."

The warden sighed, looking back at Jamie. "Well, that's better than nothing, I guess."

The warden left, and Kenjo turned to Jamie. "Did you hear all that?"

Jamie nodded. "Yeah."

Kenjo hesitated, then asked, "So... do you know when you'll be getting out of here?"

Jamie shrugged. "Eh, I think two days. The nurse said I'll probably still need to take a lot of pills, but whatever."

Kenjo smiled. "Well, that's fine. I'll be waiting for you back at the cell. I'll even bring some snacks from the cafeteria—your favorite fruit bars."

Jamie raised an eyebrow, smirking. "Are you my dad now? You're getting creepy. Respectfully, shut up. But yeah, take as many as you want."

Kenjo facepalmed but couldn't help but laugh. "I'm not your dad. I don't expect to have any control over you."

Jamie met his gaze. "You're right, you don't. But I do respect you, so I'll at least listen."

"That's all I can ask for," Kenjo said, nodding.

Kenjo waved goodbye and headed back to the cellblock for the night. He climbed up to his top bunk, settling down. Taking out his small notepad, he marked another day off with a single line. He looked at the note, then whispered to himself, "thirtyfive more days of prison, then I'm out. That means Jamie's got fourthy days left. I wonder if we'll keep in touch after we're out..."

His eyes drifted to the corner of his view where a letter sat, marked: Sender: Dekam's Boxing Gym. Lesson 4-5. Receiver: Jamie Yuki.

Kenjo wrote down the name in his notebook, then slowly drifted to sleep.