Chapter 24: Return to Reseda and Reunions

As I rode my motorcycle back to Reseda, my thoughts raced. With every mile I rode, my anxiety grew. "What am I going to do when I get there?" I wondered, as the Guns N' Roses playlist blared from the speakers I had installed on my bike.

"My heart races just thinking about seeing her again," I confessed, feeling a mix of joy and apprehension. "Shit, she's just a girl, but even from afar she moves me so much... What must she be like? I'm sure she's even more beautiful with age..."

"No... I can't think about that. She's probably with Robby right now..." I remembered sadly. "I have no idea where I am in the story. I just know I need to get back..."

Two days later, I finally arrived in Reseda. 2,000 kilometers is no small feat, especially on a motorcycle.

I went straight home.

"Vruummm, vruummm..."

When I arrived, I saw John Lawrence sitting at the door, completely exhausted, with a big beard and a sad expression.

"John...", or chamei.

He looked up and asked, "Who are you?"

"Haha, have I changed that much?" I asked, taking off my sunglasses.

"Clark, boy! Long time no see...", John exclaimed, surprised and happy with my arrival.

"Look at you, kid! What have you been eating until now? You were so much smaller than me, look at you now...", he commented, watching my growth.

"Haha, yeah, I've grown up a bit, John..." I replied, laughing. "So what's going on? Why all the sadness?..."

John sighed. "Actually, this happened...", he began to explain Miguel's situation.

"I see. What does Miguel need? Is the hospital expensive?" I asked, worried.

"Yes, it's very expensive for his family. So I'm trying to find a way to pay this bill, or find a doctor willing to help...", John replied, his voice thick with concern.

"Don't worry about money. I'll pay for everything," I offered.

"!!! WHAT? You pay the hospital bill?" John asked in disbelief.

"Yes. It may not seem like it, but I'm basically a millionaire, John," I replied with a smile.

"Clark, call me Johnny. You don't have to call me John all the time. It makes me sound too old, kid..." Johnny requested.

"Hahaha, desculpe..."

"Hey, you've really grown up, but you're still the same kid you were before," Johnny commented with a smile. "Were you serious about paying Miguel's hospital bill?"

"Sure. I know you, Johnny. You're a good man. So, a friend of my friend is my friend... Hahaha," I replied, feeling a pleasant nostalgia as I talked to him.

"Hey, Johnny!" a familiar voice interrupted our conversation.

"HUM? What are you doing here, Larusso?" Johnny asked, his tone hostile.

"I went to your gym and saw your old sensei. What did you say before? I thought he had left...", Daniel replied, confused.

"I don't want to talk about this right now, okay? I need to go to the doctor to see Miguel, with Clark," Johnny replied, standing up.

"Hello, Mr. Daniel. My name is Clark Filessia. It's a pleasure to meet you..." I introduced myself, extending my hand to shake his.

"Hello, kid. You're very polite. Be careful when you hang out with Johnny, you'll end up just like him...", Daniel joked.

"Hahaha, maybe you're right about that..." I replied, laughing.

"GRR, stop making fun of me..." Johnny grumbled.

"HAHAHA...", he laughed.

"Larusso... I mean, Daniel, are you Samantha Larusso's father?", I asked, curious.

"HUM! You know my daughter?" Daniel asked, surprised.

"Yes, of course. I studied with your daughter last year," I replied.

"Oh, yes, I remember. So you're that boy... She always talked about you to me. I even got a little mad at you. My daughter seemed to have a crush on you, so I thought I was going to meet you, but she told me you had left...", Daniel said.

"Yes, you're right. I had to leave here for a while, to take care of some things...", I explained.

"I see..." Daniel muttered. "Listen, Johnny, I have a lead on Robby..."

"!!!!", Johnny exclaimed, surprised.

"I'm trying to find him on my own, but I thought you might want to help too. I want Robby's safety as much as you do. He's out there with no one to help or advise him. They got into this mess because of us, so the least we can do is help them find each other..." Daniel explained.

"You're right, Larusso," Johnny agreed. "Clark, as you can see, I need to go after my son. Can you do that for me without me being there? I'll call his mother. Wait here..."

Johnny entered the house and knocked on Miguel's bedroom door.

"Toc, toc..."

"Carmen opened the door."

"Ah!! It's you..." she said, surprised. "What do you want?"

"Listen, Carmen, I know you're mad at me for all this, but I found help for Miguel. This guy here, he's going to pay for Miguel's entire hospital stay...", Johnny explained, pointing at me.

"!!!! WHAT? Seriously? You're really going to do this, kid? You're as young as Miguel...", Carmen asked in disbelief.

"Good morning, ma'am. Yes, I will help Miguel. I don't know him personally, but I've heard enough to know that he needs help, so I will help. Don't worry about money, it's not a problem for me," I said, sincerely.

"Sniff, sniff... Thank you very much, my son... Thank you very much. What is your name?", Carmen asked, excited.

"It's Clark, ma'am..." I replied.

"Clark, won't this bother you? It's a lot of money...", she asked, worried.

"Like I said, money is no object for me...", I replied, with a smile.

"Johnny, Daniel is here. We need to go after Robby. In the meantime, why don't we go to the hospital? I want to meet Miguel," I suggested.

"Okay, I'll go now. Let me turn things off in the house...", Carmen replied, entering the house.

"Johnny, thank you so much for all this. I don't even know how to thank you...", Johnny said, emotionally.

"Don't worry, Johnny. We'll have a drink when this is all over..." I replied, with a smile.

"Alright, kid," he replied, smiling back.

On the way to the hospital, I told Carmen my "story." She asked a few questions, but I didn't tell her many details, just the "basics."

"So, arriving at the hospital..."

"Vruummm, vruummm..."

"This hospital is pretty big, huh...", I commented, impressed.

"Yes, it's very big. It's the best in the region... Come on, let's meet Miguel. He must have woken up by now...", Carmen replied, guiding me into the hospital.

"Hello, good morning. How can I help you?" the receptionist asked.

"Good morning, I'm Miguel Diaz's mother," Carmen replied.

"Ah, yes, that boy. Who are you?" the receptionist asked, looking at me curiously.

"He's a friend. He can come in too, can't he? He's with me...", Carmen explained.

"Okay, just don't make too much noise or shake things too much. Miguel can't move around too much...", the receptionist replied.

"Okay...", Carmen agreed.

We arrived at Miguel's room.

"Miguel, hi, my little son...", Carmen greeted him affectionately.

"Mom, hi! Who's that with you?" Miguel asked, curious.

"Hello, Miguel. My name is Clark. I'm a friend of Johnny Lawrence...", I introduced myself with a smile.